Raging Fire
by JoyfulHeartEO
Summary: PREVIOUSLY POSTED AS! "SAVE YOU"! What if Christopher reacted differently to the letter that Lorelai wrote for Luke in season 7? What if he did the one thing that could be unforgivable by everyone? Who will be there to save Lorelai? And even if they try to help, will she listen? Or will he fear and guilt over hurting Luke cloud her judgement?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**:** This is another story I wrote a long time ago that I found on my computer. It takes place when Christopher finds the letter that Lorelai wrote for Luke when he was trying to get joint custody of April. What if he had reacted much differently to the letter? Who would be able to save Lorelai? If you like the first chapter I will upload the rest. Someone may have written something like this, I haven't read a lot of GG fanfiction in a long time so I apologize if someone did. I've started to rewatch the show and I remembered I had this so I figured I would upload it. Anyway, like I said...if you like it I will upload the rest! Thanks! **

* * *

Lorelai stood in front of the stove stirring the pasta in the pot. Her body was going through with the actions but her mind seemed to be a million miles away. This wasn't anything new…it had been like this since she walked away from Luke outside his Diner on that terrible night in May.

Sighing, she tried to remind herself that this was the way her life was now. She was married to Christopher, he was her husband and she was his wife. It still felt strange to her, after all this time; after all they had been through to actually think they had actually gotten married. She had given up that dream a long time ago, and if she was being honest with herself it was the last thing she wanted. Sure, she wanted to be married but not to Christopher, she wanted to be Mrs. Lorelai Danes not Mrs. Lorelai Hayden.

But…everything had blown up in her face and she had made a choice that had changed her life forever. Now she just had to learn to accept it…there was obviously no going back now. When she heard the footsteps coming down the stairs she took a deep breath and once again she tried to force a smile on her face, the same thing she had been doing for months now.

"Hey, dinner's almost ready!" Lorelai called as she moved about the kitchen to try and find a strainer, "What do you want to drink?"

"What the hell is this?" Christopher's voice boomed through the kitchen causing her to jump and turn back to him.

"What is what?" She asked holding the strainer to her chest, her eyes fell down to the letter clutched tightly in his left hand. "Oh. That…" She took a deep breath and tried to take a step closer to him, "Chris I-"

"Why would you write this letter?" He asked closing the distance between them, "I mean Jesus Lorelai…" He looked down at the words again, "Once Luke Danes is in your life…he's in your life forever?" He looked back up at her menacingly, "How is that supposed to make me feel?"

"Chris I…I just…" She stepped back, feeling afraid of the anger that seemed to be bubbling up inside of her husband, "He was in trouble. He was going to lose April and I felt bad…I mean he already lost so much time with her and I didn't want him to lose anymore…"

"Why do you even care?" Chris yelled at her, "Why do you care Lorelai? You're with me now aren't you?"

She swallowed the lump that was growing in her throat, she had known Chris for a long time but she had never seen him this angry before. "Of course I'm with you…"

"Then why does it matter what happens to him?" He asked stepping all the way up to her again, he was just inches from her face, "Why does it matter?"

"I…I just…" Her hands started to shake when she realized she was backed up against the counter and had no way of getting away. "I wanted to help…he…he helped me a lot with Rory and-"

He rolled his eyes and started to pull away as he paced the room, "Oh here we go. Here comes the lecture about how perfect the Diner guy is who was there for all the stuff with Rory that I missed."

She shook her head as she placed the strainer down behind her, she grasped the counter top for strength, "I didn't mean it like that. I just felt like…I felt like I owed him…" She winced at her words when he turned back to her and closed the space between them again, "Chris I-"

"Do you still love him?" He asked glaring down at her with such anger, Lorelai felt every fiber of her body screaming at her to run but she knew she couldn't.

"Chris please-" She whispered softly as the tears started to fill her eyes.

"Do. You. Love. Him?" He ground out each word as he leaned in closer to her.

"I…" Her heart was pounding in her chest, she knew what the answer was but she couldn't tell him. "No. Of course not."

"Do you love me?" He asked leaning so close she could feel his hot, angry breath against her face.

She swallowed the lump in her throat again, "Of-o-of course I do. You're my husband."

Christopher snickered, "But he was supposed to be your husband first wasn't he?"

She bit her lip nervously, "Chris don't…"

He laughed bitterly and stepped back, "This is just great. This is fucking fabulous!"

"Please…" She whispered as she pushed herself away from the counter as she tried to reach for him, "Luke and I broke up, okay? It's over. I was just trying to help him with April. It didn't mean anything. We are together now. You and me. We're married."

He reared away from her hand, "But you wish it was him here don't you?"

Her heart was screaming yes but she adamantly shook her head, "Of course not!"

"You know…I've known you for a very long time Lorelai. You forget that I can read you like a book." He said stepping towards her again.

"Look let's just…let's forget about this okay? I promise after this letter I will not do anything for him. I won't even talk to him!" She yelled as she stepped back again bracing her hands behind her waiting to feel the counter dig into her back.

"And how the hell is that going to work Lorelai? We live in the same freaking town as the guy!" Chris yelled as he lifted the letter between them and glared down at her, "We have to stay in this fucking town because you won't leave and I know it's not because of the Inn! I know it's because you don't want to leave him. I'm not stupid."

She shook her head, "It is because of the Inn! And because this is where Rory grew up and-"

He laughed bitterly, "Rory's a big girl now Lorelai. She doesn't need to stay in the house she grew up in forever. She doesn't even live here!"

Lorelai gasped for a breath, trying to think of what she could say to calm him down. "Christopher please…please calm down. You're starting to scare me…"

He ignored her as he pushed her back against the counter, "She doesn't live here but I know she wishes it was Luke you married instead of me too. I'm her actual father and yet she still wishes that stupid Diner guy was here in this house. Do you know how that makes me feel Lorelai? Do you?"

"I'm…I'm sorry okay? Luke has been a big part of her life for a long time. I'm sure it is difficult for her to just cut him out the way she has had too. You can't be mad at her for that." She said trying to plead with him to understand.

"Who has it been harder for Lorelai, you or Rory?" He asked tauntingly, "How much do you miss him, huh?"

She flinched as she felt his right hand grab hold of her waist as he continued to push her against the counter, "Chris please stop…"

His lips were against her ear as he continued to yell at her and his hand dug harder into her hip making her gasp in surprise and fear, "Do you wish it was him who was here with you tonight? Do you wish it was him who was touching you when we make love? Is that it? Do you picture him when I'm inside of you?"

The tears were falling freely now and she tried to push him off of her but it was no use. "Stop. Please stop!"

"Answer me Lorelai!" He said shoving her back against the counter again making her shriek, "Do you wish it was him when I kiss you? Do you wish it was him holding you at night?" He asked as other hand crushed the letter against her other side. "You want him Lorelai? Not me?"

She could barely breath now she was so afraid, she wanted to run and get as far away from his as she could but she knew she couldn't fight him off. "Chris-" She chocked out as he continued to shove her back, digging the hard surface into her lower back. "You're hurting me. Please…please stop."

"I bet you are thinking your precious Luke would never do this aren't you?" He said pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes. "Is there anytime you aren't thinking of him?"

"Stop! I'm not thinking about anyone else! You're my husband!" She yelled hopefully as the tears spilled down her cheeks and onto her shirt.

Chris glared at her as he pulled all the way away finally letting her go, "Don't you forget that."

He lifted his hand and before she could even react his full hand came in contact with her face making her scream in pain. When he pulled it back he didn't even try and apologize when she lifted her own hand to try and soothe the stinging against her red cheek. He lifted his hands again and she jumped as he shoved her back and she knew her back would be bruised in the morning along with her face.

He shook his head and began to walk away, when she heard the front door slam behind him she slunk down the side of the counter as she continued to sob. She could hear the water bubbling over in the pasta pot but she couldn't lift herself up to take it off the stove. She felt sick and her whole body was on fire. She was so scared and lost in her own thoughts she didn't even hear the knock on the back door, she didn't hear the footsteps coming up beside her.

She jumped when she felt the hand on her shoulder, "Sugah?" The familiar voice of Babette whispered to her as she knelt down in front of her.

Lorelai turned her gaze to see Morey turning off the stove and picking up the pot before placing it in the sink. "B-b-babette?"

Babette kneeled down in front of her, "We heard yelling and we thought we would come see if you are okay…"

Lorelai's hand was still on her cheek as she whimpered, "I-I didn't-I-"

Babbette reached up and pulled her hand away, grimacing when she saw the large red handprint burning on Lorelai's cheek. "Oh sugah…"

The tears that had been falling quickly turned to loud and terrified sobs as she fell forward against her neighbor. Babette began to wrap her hands around her shoulders and rub her back trying to calm her. Lorelai was faintly aware of the sound of Morey's voice as he talked into her home phone. She couldn't pull herself out of her fear to understand what he was saying or whom he was talking too.

Her head was spinning and every part of her body and mind was searing in pain. How had this happened? How had it all gotten so screwed up? Never in her life did she think she would be the type of woman to be with a man who hit her. And she never would have thought Chris of all people could do that to her. Sure, they had been through some bad times but she had never, ever been afraid of him.

"Lorelai sweetie…" Babette whispered as she continued to hug her, "You should get up honey. Morey just called the police and they will be here soon."

Lorelai instantly sat up and began to pull her aching body up off of the floor. "No. No. No! Call them back. They can't come here!"

"Christopher assaulted you Lorelai…you can't just let him get away with it." Babette said as she stared at her in confusion.

"It was…it was just-" She was still trying to stop crying and her words came out in a rambling mess, she fell back against the counter again. "It was a misunderstanding. He didn't mean it…he won't do it again."

"Lorelai…" Babette whispered leaning towards her again, "Sweetie you can't-"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Lorelai said as she walked on shaky legs as she walked around her, "Thanks for-for checking o-on me. I just n-n-need to go find Chris and fi-fi-fix this." She hiccupped as she walked away.

"You are in no condition to be going anywhere and you certainly aren't going to talk to him." Morey said trying to follow her down the hall.

Lorelai waved her hand back at them, "Just-just go. I'm fine. I swear I'm fine."

"But Lorelia-" Babette said scurrying after her.

"Please just go Babette, please." She stopped at the base of the stairs and quickly turned to look at her friends, "Please don't tell Rory."

"But Lorelai-" Morey tried to reason with her.

"Please." She said with more determination, "Please don't tell her. Just…call the cops tell him everything is fine and just go home. I'm okay." She said desperately trying to search both of their eyes, "Please…"

Something in Lorelai's tone of voice made Babette realize they weren't going to get anywhere with her. Sighing, she reached for Morey's arm and began to pull him back. "Okay sugah…whatever you want. We'll deal with the cops and I promise we won't call Rory…"

Morey turned to look at his wife, "Babette-"

She squeezed his arm, "You just call me if you need anything okay?"

Lorelai swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, "Sure. Sure. Thanks again."

Babette waited until Lorelai turned and fled up the stairs to her bedroom before turning back to Morey. Then she began to pull him once again towards the back door and quickly exited the house.

"What was that?" Morey asked running after his wife. "We have to tell someone-"

Babette looked back at the house to make sure that Lorelai wasn't lingering anywhere to hear them before she looked at him again, "Of course we do. But if we push her she'll run Morey…did you see her face? Did you hear her voice? I've never heard Lorelai that scared…"

Morey sighed and walked up the steps with her back to their house, "So what do we do now?"

Babette sighed, glanced up at Lorelai's bedroom window and then ran into the house. She had a lot of phone calls to make…

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An hour later, Babette and Morey were standing on the street far enough away from Lorelai's street as Miss Patty, Sookie and Jackson approached them.

"Where is she?" Sookie asked frantically trying to walk past them to Lorelai's house.

"Shhh…" Babette said grasping the woman's arm and pulling her towards her, "You can't go in there or she will freak."

"But she needs me! She needs someone!" Sookie yelled pointing back at the old white house.

"You know Lorelai…you know how stubborn and tough she tries to be. Well she's scared and she doesn't want to need people. She wants to deal with this on her own." Babette said.

Jackson sighed, "Have you seen Chris at all?"

Morey shook his head, "Not yet."

"Did you call Rory?" Miss Patty asked glancing around the street.

"She should be here soon. She was coming home anyway tonight." Babette said.

"Oh God…poor Rory…" Sookie said putting a hand over her mouth, "Does she know exactly what happened?"

Babette shook her head, "I was afraid to tell her over the phone. I didn't want her driving home if she was that upset. Plus I was afraid she would call Lorelai about it and I promised her I wouldn't do that."

"So what did you say?" Miss Patty asked.

"I told her I had gone over for a visit and saw that Lorelai wasn't feeling so great. I told her she was asleep so she shouldn't call her…" Babette said nervously.

"Do you even know what happened?" Jackson asked.

Morey shook his head, "We heard a lot of yelling…and she had a mark on her face…we couldn't see if he hit her anywhere else."

Sookie's lips started to tremble, "I just can't understand what would make Christopher do something like this. He was never my favorite guy…but I didn't think he would be capable of something like this."

Before anyone could say anything else, another car pulled up and they held their breath hoping it wasn't Christopher. But when Rory stepped out of the car, they sighed with at least some relief.

But for Rory, the sight of many of her neighbors and friends outside her mothers house, she began to wonder what exactly was going wrong. Her heart started to pound in her chest and she looked at her house before slamming her car door. She walked right past them until Sookie grabbed her arm.

"Rory wait…" Sookie whispered trying to pull her away from the house.

"What's going on? Where's my Mom?" Rory asked frantically trying desperately to get to the house.

"Oh Rory honey…I just…I don't know how to say this." Babette said starting to tear up.

"Say what?" Rory asked turning quickly towards her, "What happened? Where is she? Where's my Dad?"

"We don't know where he is…" Morey whispered.

"What do you mean you don't know where he is?" Rory asked looking between the people she considered to be her family. "What does that even mean?"

"We…we don't exactly know what happened." Babette started, "Its just…Morey and I heard some arguing coming from your house and…it kept getting louder so we went to go see if everything was alright…"

Babette's voice began to crack and she looked over at Morey unable to continue, "What happened?" Rory asked again desperately.

Morey put an arm around Babette and looked back at Rory, "Well…your mother she was crying, she was sitting on the floor and…"

"And?" Rory asked as she stepped closer to him, she was pretty sure her heart was about to leap from her chest.

"She had a handprint on her cheek Rory…" Morey said softly.

Rory let the words sink in; her head was spinning as they all stared nervously at her. "No. No he wouldn't do that."

"Rory…" Sookie said walking closer to her, "Sweets I can't even imagine what you must be feeling and thinking right now."

Rory shook her head, "My Dad is a lot of things but he's not the type of man who would abuse someone. And he definitely wouldn't hurt my mother…" She gulped for air before shaking her head again, "At least not like that…"

"She begged us not to call you and she made us call the cops and tell them not to come." Babette said softly.

Rory looked back at the house, she wanted to go in and hold her mother but she was afraid, "I don't understand…"

Sookie pulled her in for a hug, "It's going to be okay Rory. I promise we are going to figure this all out…"

"Why? Why would he do this?" Rory asked as she began to cry, clinging to her mothers best friend.

"What do we do if he comes back?" Miss Patty asked as she leaned into Jackson, "We can't let him back in that house…"

"I wish Lorelai would let the cops come over…they would know what to do." He answered back, "Should we call them again anyway?"

Rory pulled away from Sookie and shook her head, "She'll freak."

"Then what do we do? We can't just let him get away with this!" Miss Patty said anxiously.

Rory looked back at the house and took a deep breath, "There's only one person that she might listen too…"

Sookie looked at Rory and smiled sadly, "You mean Luke?"

Rory wiped her tears away, "I don't really have to ask what this was all about…I think we all know what probably happened."

"But Luke will freak out." Babette said nervously, "You know he'll go after Christopher…he loves her whether he'll admit it or not."

"Yeah he will go after my Dad…but not after checking on my Mom first." Rory said walking around them towards her car, "Stay here and make sure my Dad doesn't come back. If he does…" She took another nervous breath, "Call me."

Rory jumped in the car without looking back and sped towards the Diner. She wasn't even sure she had put the car in park fully before she swung the door open and ran into the Diner. It was a Sunday night and it looked like Luke was closing up early because there were no customers inside.

She could see him behind the counter wiping up and she began to quickly rap on the locked door. Luke looked up from where he stood and his heart dropped to his stomach when he spotted the young woman standing outside his Diner. God he had missed her, just like he had missed her mother but everything had gone so wrong so fast.

He was so consumed in his thoughts of regrets; he didn't notice the panicked look on her face. When she slammed her hand against the glass urgently he jumped into action and ran around the counter.

He reached for the doorknob and flung it open as fast as he could. "Rory-"

"I'm sure you hate my Mom for what she did." She said as she walked all the way into the Diner and began to pace, "I'll understand if you do. But you have to know she was hurting…she was afraid you didn't love her and-"

"Rory please…" Luke said as he sighed, closing the door behind her. "I don't think you should-"

"What she did was wrong…I know that. But I also know she is still hurting…I know she still loves you." Rory said as she stopped pacing and turned all the way to face him. "And I think you still love her…"

Luke stared at her for a moment, he had been worried something like this might happen, "Rory just because things with your Mother and I didn't work out…I don't want you to think I'm not here for you." He shrugged, "I don't want you to be afraid to ask me for help. I'm here for you. I always will be but-"

"That's why I'm here." Rory whispered nervously, "I need your help."

Luke tried to study her face to understand what she was about to say, "Well…what's wrong?"

"I…" Rory felt her lips tremble and her hands began to shake. "My Dad he…he..."

Panic started to bubble up in Luke's chest; he took a large step towards her and reached for the girl's hand. "What? What did he do?"

"I don't know all the details…all I know is he hit my Mom." She said quickly.

Luke didn't even let her say anything else; he turned on his heel and flew out the Diner door. He could hear Rory running behind him frantically but he couldn't seem to stop his feet as the pounded on the pavement. He was seeing red…nothing but red and he wanted to wrap his hands around Christopher's neck.

It wouldn't be the first time he felt this way towards that man but this was different. He had dared to raise a hand to Lorelai and he wanted blood. He didn't need to know what happened or why it happened, it didn't matter. All he needed was to get his hands on Christopher…but first he had to see her. He had to see her face, he had to know that she was going to be okay.

"Luke wait!" Rory yelled trying to keep up with him.

Since the distance between the Diner and Lorelai's house was so short, before she knew what was happening she could see everyone else standing outside the house. She looked at them frantically hoping someone could help but they knew no one would be able to stop him.

Jackson lunged trying to grab Luke but he tossed him aside. "Move!" He yelled.

"Luke wait!" Rory screamed at the man she had so long considered to be a father, "Please!"

At her words, Luke's whole body froze at the bottom of the porch steps. His heart was hammering away in his chest but the fear in the young girls voice scared him. He turned to look at her; he searched her face as she came to a quick stop in front of him, completely out of breath.

"Wait…" She said panting as the rest of their friends running up behind them.

"Rory…" Luke said stepping towards her, "I can't just-"

"I know!" Rory yelled, "I know. I want to run in there too. And I also want to kill my Dad for doing this…" She said as the warm tears fell down her cheeks. "But…she's…she's going to be scared…"

"Of me?" Luke asked leaning into her as he placed a hand on his chest, "I would never-"

Rory shook her head, "No! I know that. I know that."

"Then-" He started turning to go back up the steps to the house.

She grabbed his arm again, "Wait…"

Luke groaned and stepped back down to face her, "Rory-"

"We just…we have to think about this…" Rory whispered nervously looking back at Sookie for help, "You now how Mom can be…"

"She was insistent that we couldn't call the cops or Rory." Babette said trying to reason with him, "She might be very angry when she realized I didn't do what she asked me too…"

Rory nodded and turned back to Luke, "I just think…I think if you and I go in there calmly it will be better. If we run in there and bombard her she might break apart…"

Luke swallowed the lump that was growing in his throat, he rubbed a hand over his face trying to calm himself. "How the hell did we get like this?"

Rory took a step closer to him and put a hand on his arm, "I don't know…"

He shook his head as he felt the tears burning in his eyes, "I am so sorry Rory. I am so sorry…I let you down. I let you both down…"

Rory shook her head adamantly, "We can't…we can't do that right now okay? One thing at a time…I came to you because I knew you would protect my Mom. I knew you would protect us both…and I know your mad but I need your help with this one Luke…"

He nodded slowly, "I'm not going anywhere this time Rory…I promise."

She smiled at him as she turned back to the others, Sookie reached out and squeezed her arm letting her know they were right there too. Luke stepped up to the top step and waited for Rory to follow him, he let her walk all the way up to the door and unlock it.

It felt strange to walk back into the place he had hoped to be his home. His heart was doing flip flops, he felt confused and angry and he was trying to stay calm. It didn't matter what had happened between he and Lorelai anymore. None of it mattered, it didn't matter how hurt he was…all that mattered was that he made sure she was going to be okay.

They walked up the steps in silence before stopping outside Lorelai's bedroom door. Rory looked over at Luke and wondered what he was thinking, the would be walking back into the room he had renovated to share with her mother. The same room that she now slept in with her current husband, who just happened to be her father and also the one man who he hated the most. She couldn't imagine how much he hated her now that he knew what he had done tonight…

Luke gave her a quick not of encouragement, she took a deep breath and lifted her hand to knock. But she stopped when she heard the loud sobs coming from the other side of the door. She felt sick to her stomach and suddenly began to lose all her nerve.

The sound of Lorelai crying had always been the one noise that could cut him like a sharp knife. It felt like someone was ripping his heart out slowly as he listened to her cry. It was hard to keep his feet planted on the ground because he wanted to turn and run until he found Christopher.

When he heard Rory whimper beside him he knew he had to be strong for all of them. He cleared his throat nervously and lifted his own hand to knock on the door. They could hear Lorelai scrambling up off of the floor but it didn't sound like she was walking towards the door.

"C-C-Chris?" She managed to force out, "I-I just-Is that you?"

Rory cringed when she heard her mothers broken voice, "Mom…Mom it's me can I come in?"

They both heard the sharp intake of breath, "Oh Rory…I…honey I'm not feeling so great. You shouldn't come in here…I don't want to get you sick."

Rory reached up to wipe her tears away, "Mom…please open the door…"

"Really sweets…I'm good. I just…my stomach is all…I just I think…" She stammered out.

Rory looked at Luke frantically, unsure of what else to say to get her mother to let them in. "Lorelai…?" He said in a strong, soothing voice.

They were greeted but nothing but silence on the other side of the door. Luke worried his presence might only make things worse. He turned to Rory to say something but he was interrupted when he heard the door creak open slowly.

Both Luke and Rory turned quickly to see half of Lorelai's face staring out from the dark bedroom. "L-L-Luke?"

He tried to smile encouragingly at her, "Yes. It's me Lorelai…can you let us in?"

He watched her squeeze her eyes trying to hold in the tears, "You shouldn't be here Luke…you should go home."

Luke's heart ached at her words; he knew she was saying them out of fear. "Lorelai I'm not going to let anything happen to you okay?"

Her eyes shot open again and she stared desperately at him, she wanted to fling the door open and make him hold her. She wanted to erase the last few months, pretend none of them had happened. She wanted it to go back to the way it once was but she knew it could never happen…

Rory looked between her broken mother and then to Luke, "Mom…just open the door."

Lorelai's eyes turned towards her daughter again, she took a deep, shaky breath before she opened the door fully. She ignored the sharp intake of breath that Rory took at the sight of the growing bruise across her mothers face.

Luke felt like someone had punched him in the gut as he looked at her, tear marks ran down her face, her shirt was soaked and the imprint of Christopher's hand was still burning on her face.

"Lorelai…" He wasn't even sure if she could hear him because his voice cracked as he spoke, he couldn't hide the tears that were burning his eyes.

"Oh Mom…" Rory started to cry harder as she pushed past Luke and wrapped her Mom in her arms. "Mom I'm so sorry…"

Luke tried to ignore the fact that Lorelai seemed to wince as Rory wrapped her arms around her mother. He began to wonder just where else there might be bruises growing along her body. His blood began to boil again and the need to hunt down Christopher returned again. But when he noticed Lorelai staring desperately at him, he knew there was no where else he could go right now. He wasn't going to leave her side again…not until he knew exactly what happened.

But once he did…he made no promises that Christopher would end up unscathed. 

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**So what did you think? Do you want to know what happens next? Let me know and I'll upload the next chapter once I hear from some of you :) Thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so glad you are all interested in this story. Before I post the next chapter I just wanted you to know that I will be changing the title from "Save You" to "Raging Fire" so that you would know where to look for it.**

**Like I said before, I wrote this story awhile back or well at least the first few chapters and the original title was "Save You". But today I was listening to the song "Raging Fire" by Phillip Phillips and it inspired me and I wanted that to be the title instead. The lyrics reminded me of Lorelai and Luke finding their way back to each other after all the crap that happened with Chris and I just felt like it would be perfect.**

**I hope you guys continue to enjoy it! Thanks again! Keep reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This story was previously called "Save You" but I changed the title to "Raging Fire" which is based off the song by Phillip Phillips. I'm glad so many of you are interested in the story and as I said before I already have the first few chapters written. I will update them once I get some more feedback and continue to write the story as soon as I can. I hope you continue to enjoy! **_  
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_Luke felt like someone had punched him in the gut as he looked at her, tear marks ran down her face, her shirt was soaked and the imprint of Christopher's hand was still burning on her face._

_"Lorelai…" He wasn't even sure if she could hear him because his voice cracked as he spoke, he couldn't hide the tears that were burning his eyes._

_"Oh Mom…" Rory started to cry harder as she pushed past Luke and wrapped her Mom in her arms. "Mom I'm so sorry…"_

_Luke tried to ignore the fact that Lorelai seemed to wince as Rory wrapped her arms around her mother. He began to wonder just where else there might be bruises growing along her body. His blood began to boil again and the need to hunt down Christopher returned again. But when he noticed Lorelai staring desperately at him, he knew there was no where else he could go right now. He wasn't going to leave her side again…not until he knew exactly what happened._

_But once he did…he made no promises that Christopher would end up unscathed._

_"Mom what happened?" Rory cried as she held her mother tight, "I don't understand…"_

Lorelai couldn't tear her eyes away from the man that was staring at her, "I'm okay…"

Rory shook her head against her mothers shoulder before pulling away, "No you aren't Mom. I can see that. Just tell me what happened and we'll-"

Lorelai pulled away from her daughter and tried to smile, "It was just a misunderstanding honey…"

"A misunderstanding?" Luke said as his eyes widened in shock, he stepped into the room ignoring the nervous look on Lorelai's face. "This wasn't a misunderstanding Lorelai. He put his hands on you. He dared to put his freaking hands on you!"

Lorelai stepped away and shook as he raised his voice, "I-I-please-please don't-"

Luke stopped walking towards her when he realized how afraid she was of him and his heart broke even more than it already was. He watched her step all the way back until she slammed into the wall before she slid down. Her body started to wrack with sobs again and he pushed past Rory to kneel down in front of her mother.

"Lorelai please look at me…" He whispered.

She had pulled her knees up against her chest, her arms were hugging them close as she buried her head in them. "It's all my fault. It's all my-my-my fault." She said as he body continued to shake.

Luke could feel Rory behind him but all he could focus on was this broken woman in front of him that he loved so much. "Jesus…" He let his knees crack as he put a gentle hand on her arm. "No. No Lorelai…this isn't your fault."

She stiffened for a moment as he touched her, but she relaxed when she knew he wouldn't hurt her. "It is. It's all my fault. All of it."

She refused to look at him and it hurt him more, he needed to see her eyes. He needed to see those blue eyes that always saw straight through to his soul. He needed to see them to know that she was going to be okay.

"Lorelai please…" He whispered softly to her, "Please just look at me…"

It took her a minute until she took a few unsteady breaths, she lifted her head and let her tear filled eyes look over his face. The first thing she noticed was that stupid black hat he had begun to wear after their break up. She hated everything about that hat, she wanted to see the blue one again.

She forced her eyes from the hat down to the stubble on his cheeks, the same stubble that used to tickle her as he kissed her. The same stubble that drove her crazy as he moved his lips down her body, nipping and nuzzling each part of skin he could reach. Her eyes scanned his lips and she wanted so desperately to kiss them to feel anything other than pain and fear that was erupting in her. But when her eyes finally moved up to those eyes of his, those eyes that read her like a book she melted and she let her legs slide down again, opening herself up to him.

"Luke…" She whispered softly. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for all of it…"

Luke shook his head and sighed, "That's not important right now Lorelai…"

She whimpered again, "But it is…it is Luke. Because if I hadn't of screwed it all up so badly none of this would have happened."

Luke licked his lips and turned from Lorelai back to Rory who stood nervously behind him. He watched the young girl nervously tap her foot as she held her arms tight around her middle. Her eyes looked from her mother to him and she nodded her head slowly back at him.

He sighed and turned back to Lorelai, he didn't want to have this conversation. He wasn't ready, and he definitely didn't want to have it in front of Rory. However, he knew that right now he had no choice if he had any chance of helping Lorelai…

"Lorelai it took me awhile to see it…but I realize now I pushed you to him." He swallowed hard and shook his head, "If it's anyone's fault that this happened…its mine."

Lorelai lifted her hand and wiped her tears away but winced when she touched the sore flesh of her cheek. "I was so scared…"

He sighed and reached up to pull her hand back to examine the mark on her face, "What happened?"

She licked her lips nervously and sighed, "He…he found the letter."

Luke's eyes went from mark on her face to her eyes, she could see the desperation there and she hated herself all over again. He felt sick to his stomach thinking this had happened because of him…

When Luke did respond to her mother's words, Rory stepped closer to them and spoke up, "What letter?"

Lorelai didn't take her eyes off of Luke, he sighed and turned back to Rory. "April's mother is trying to take her away. Your Mom wrote a letter to the court to help me get joint custody…" He shook his head and turned back to Lorelai. "I am so sorry…" He whispered feeling the pain bubble up in his chest. "God Lorelai I'm so sorry…"

"What happened?" Rory asked crouching down, she didn't want to intrude on their space but she needed to be closer to her mother,

The room was dark, Rory put her hand on her mothers shoulder encouragingly and waited. Lorelai sat in silence for a moment, trying to relish in the feeling of safety that these two people caused her. All she had ever wanted was to be with the two of them, but not like this…

She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the wall. "I was cooking dinner…and he came downstairs. He just…he started asking me about the letter. He was so mad…" She said as she tried to keep the tears in. "He just kept yelling at me and I didn't know what to do…I tried to calm him down. I have never seen him that angry…but I didn't think…"

Rory rubbed her mothers shoulder gently to try and soothe her, she glanced at Luke out of the corner of her eye and noticed just how tense he was. "It's okay Mom…keep going."

Lorelai swallowed hard again, "He just kept asking if I was in love with…if I was in love with…" She sighed and opened her eyes for a moment to look at Luke. "If I was in love with you or him…"

Luke inhaled sharply and just nodded his head to encourage her to keep talking. He didn't need her to answer that question right now…he didn't think he could handle the answer. No matter what the answer was…

"He pushed me against the counter and I couldn't get away…I tried to calm him down." She said as she closed her eyes again, to afraid to look at Luke. "I begged him to stop because he was scaring me but his hands were so tight around me. I couldn't get away…"

Rory wiped more of her tears away and she leaned in closer, "Mom…"

"And then he asked if I wanted…if I wanted him or you to be there and…then before I knew what was happening he hit me." Lorelai whispered softly. "And then he was gone…"

"God Mom…I can't believe he would do this…" Rory said shaking her head as she leaned it against her shoulder. "I just can't believe he did this…"

Lorelai sighed and leaned against her daughter, "It's my fault."

"No it isn't." Rory said lifting her head to look back up at him, "Mom…no matter what might have been happening…no matter what you may or may not feel he had no right to do this to you."

Lorelai licked her chapped lips and looked straight at Luke, "I hurt you both. I did this…I caused this and I can't even be mad at him for it."

Luke shook his head quickly, "No. You didn't. Rory's right. It doesn't matter Lorelai…none of it matters. He had no right to lay a hand on you…no matter how angry or hurt I was or might be…I'd never do this to you."

She sighed sadly, "I know…"

Rory watched for a moment as her mother and Luke stared at one another. Her heart ached for both of them and for what could have been if things had been different. But as she watched them she also knew that Luke would do anything for his mother…even now after everything that had happened. She knew he wasn't going anywhere…and her fear began to subside because she knew he would find a way to fix this just like he had always done.

"Mom…" Rory whispered afraid to break their connection, "Mom you need to talk to the police."

Rory watched as her mother flinched at her daughter's words and she quickly lifted herself up off the ground to move away from them. "No."

Rory looked back at Luke desperately but he was watching Lorelai as she moved out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He jumped up quickly and followed her making sure to keep an appropriate distance as to not crowd or scare her.

"Lorelai, Rory is right. You need to call the cops so that he can't come back here and do this again." Luke said trying to reason with her as he followed her down the stairs.

Lorelai walked from the stairs to the kitchen to look at the mess she had left there, "No. I won't. I won't do it. And he won't do it again. I know he won't."

Luke looked back in time to see Rory now standing behind him as they watched Lorelai take the dried out pasta out of the sink and walk towards the trash. "You don't know that…" He said softly.

Lorelai shook her head as she continued to walk around the kitchen, unable to look at them again. "He didn't mean to do it. I know he didn't. It will all be fine. When he comes back we'll talk about it and it will be done."

Rory stared in shock at her mothers words, she had never thought her mother would act this way in such a situation. "Mom you can't be serious. You can't actually think that you guys will get back together now."

"Rory you don't understand…" Lorelai said with a sigh as she moved nervously around the room, "It's complicated okay? Sometimes when you are an adult you just have to make sacrifices and-"

"Sacrifices?" Rory scoffed in disbelief as she stepped around Luke to reach her Mother. "Are you kidding me? Mom do you even hear yourself right now? This isn't you!"

Lorelai jumped at the loudness of her daughters voice, "I can't just walk away."

Rory stepped all the way up to her, "Why not Mom? We both know you don't even love him."

Lorelai felt the stab to her heart and she quickly glanced at Luke who seemed frozen in his spot behind Rory. "I do love him. I do-"

Rory shook her head, "No. You don't. And stop trying to force yourself to feel something you don't."

Lorelai could feel her lip starting to tremble again and she shook her head, willing herself not to cry. Rory sighed and put a hand on her mothers arm to try and soothe her.

"Mom listen to me…" Lorelai lifted her head slowly to look at her daughter, "When are you going to stop punishing yourself?"

Lorelai couldn't hold the tears in anymore and she began to fall apart. Rory looked back at Luke hopefully and he stepped in just as she knew he would, just as he always had.

"Rory, why don't you give your Mom and I a minute?" He whispered to her.

Rory looked at her Mother who was falling apart in front of her, she nodded slowly and then stepped away back towards the front door. Luke waited until he heard the door close behind her before he approached Lorelai all the way. She was crying hard again and he felt his broken heart beginning to rip apart even more.

"Lorelai listen to me…" He whispered, trying to sound stern but also trying not to frighten her, when she lifted her head he continued. "I need you to call the police and fill out a report about this."

Lorelai shook her head, "I can't."

He sighed and reached for her gently, his thumb began to rub soothing circles on her upper arm just as he always had done when she was upset. "Yes you can."

She stared at him for a moment before responding, "I deserved this."

Luke stood up straighter and felt his heart begin to pound again, he shook his head and led her over to the kitchen chair. When she finally gave in and sat down in the chair closest to her and pushed himself as close to her as he could get. She was staring down at her hands in her lap and he quickly reached for them, he felt her squeeze them back in response.

"You did NOT deserve this." Luke said as he bent her head towards her. "No one ever deserves something like this. But you of all people don't deserve this. Okay?"

She lifted her head and shook it, determined to make him understand. "But Luke I made him think I wanted him…but all I wanted was you. I hurt him just like I hurt you and I hate myself for that."

Luke sighed again, "Lorelai, Christopher is a grown man he could have made different decisions too. I don't know what happened that night when you went to him…" He closed his eyes, obviously in pain. "And quite honestly I don't want to know what happened but he had to have known you weren't in any state to make clear decisions."

"Luke I was just so…I was so hurt and so angry." She managed to get the words out despite the trembling of her voice. "And I needed to do the one thing I knew you could never forgive me for. I needed to make sure you wouldn't come back to me…"

Luke squinted trying to understand what she was saying, "Why?"

She wiped away more of her tears and hissed when she felt the bruise against her skin again, "Because it all hurt to much…you kept pushing me away and I was holding on for dear life. And then you…you just said no. You said you didn't want to get married and I-"

He shook his head, "I never said I didn't want to get married Lorelai. Never. I just couldn't run off like that."

"But why?" She asked pleading with him. "Why not? Didn't you love me?"

He squeezed her hand gently, "Of course I loved you." He paused when he saw the pain grow on her face. "I do love you…"

"Then why?" Lorelai pleaded again, "Why couldn't you marry me Luke? What did I do? Please tell me what I did to make you not want me anymore…"

"You didn't do anything." Luke said feeling confused by her words, "Lorelai I never stopped wanting you…"

"Yes you did." She said as she gasped for air as the tears continued to spill down her cheeks. "At least that's what it felt like…" She sniffled and closed her eyes tightly, "Before April I felt it…I always felt it…"

"Felt what?" Luke asked desperately trying to understand what she was saying.

"I felt that you loved me…" She whispered before opening her eyes, "With just a look or a simple touch I could feel it…I knew it. I was sure of it. I was sure of you." She said sadly, "But then April showed up and you just pushed me away…and I felt like I was just a burden to you then."

He sighed and scooted even closer to her, "You weren't a burden Lorelai. I was just so damn confused…I had all these emotions…all these feelings and questions and I didn't know how to deal with them."

"Well why didn't you just ask me for help?" She asked as she reached for him desperately. "You didn't need to do it all alone. I was there Luke…I was right there and I tried to help but you kept getting so mad…"

He nodded, "I know. I know. I just…I was angry at Anna for keeping her from me. And I didn't know how to let her into my life and I wanted to figure out how to deal with her before bringing her into our life. I needed to do that alone first…"

"But…I could have helped you. It's not like I didn't understand having a kid…and God Luke you helped me so much with Rory. I never would have been able to do it all without you…I wanted so badly to help you too." She whispered sadly as she reached a hand up to cup his face. "I wanted to help you…"

He nodded as he leaned into her touch, the same touch he had missed and craved for months. "I know you did. I know…I'm so sorry Lorelai. I just got so damn screwed up and I didn't even see you slipping away…"

She let out a shaky breath before continuing, "When you let me walk away that night…" She shook her head sadly; "I felt like someone had ripped out my heart…I've felt so hollow since then. So alone…"

Luke grimaced her words and reached for her hand on his face and put it back against his leg to hold it once more. "I didn't realize that if I let you go I'd lose you forever…"

"I tried so hard to love him." She whispered never taking her eyes off of him, "He was so sweet…I kept telling myself we would be a family. The family that Rory had always deserved…" She laughed bitterly, "But I was so wrong…"

"You can't force yourself to love someone you don't really love." He said before laughing sadly, "Just like you can't force yourself to stop loving someone you really love...believe me I tried…"

"I felt like if I couldn't have it all with you I had to just take what I could get…I didn't want to be alone anymore." She said hoping he would understand.

"I just hated that it was him…" He whispered sadly looking down at their joined hands, "I think I could have gotten over it if it was someone else…I would have been hurt but not like that. That was to much…"

"I know…" She whispered, "That's why I did it? I needed you to let go forever."

He lifted his head to look at her again, "I could never let go forever Lorelai…you have to know that by now." He scooted forward in his seat and pulled out his wallet, Lorelai watched in fascination as he pulled the worn out horoscope from its pocket again just like he had done on their very first date. "After you told me what happened…" He paused and ran his fingers over the faded paper, "And after I hit Christopher…" He sighed and handed it to her, "I went home and I lit a match to burn this but I couldn't…" He watched her eyes searching his hopefully, "I couldn't do it Lorelai…I couldn't let go…"

"Luke…" She whispered as her free hand reached for him again.

"I can't walk away again Lorelai and I won't. I never should have walked away the first time but I did. And I have kicked myself every day since then…" He sighed and took the horoscope back before putting it back in his wallet and throwing it on the table. "I don't know what the hell is going to happen or how we will ever get over all that stuff but none of it matters right now."

"Yes it does…" She said with a sniffle. "Of course it does."

He nodded his head, "It does but there are more important things we need to deal with right now."

Lorelai knew what he was referring too, she leaned back in her chair, pulling away from him as she wrapped her arms around herself suddenly feeling cold. "I'm scared…"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you Lorelai…" He said with such honesty and confidence she felt like the million broken pieces of her heart were all melting into him again. "He will not lay another finger on you…"

Despite all the pain and the confusion, she knew that he meant what he said. Taking a deep breath she moved her feet so that she could stand up again. He looked up at her, the light reflected off the bruise still growing darker against her cheek.

"Okay…I'll do it." She spoke in such a soft voice he wasn't even sure he had heart her correctly.

After a moment he finally stood up to face her again, he reached out to smooth her hair away from her face. "Okay…"

She tried to smile but seemed to fail miserably, she didn't want to cry in front of him anymore than she already had. She turned slowly and began to walk towards the front door to find her daughter, Luke was right behind her giving her the strength she needed. At first she was shocked to see all the people sitting out on her front porch but then she smiled realizing just how loved she actually was.

Rory quickly stepped up to her mother and reached out to her, "Mom?"

"I'm so sorry to put you through this kid…" She whispered as her voice cracked and gave her away. "I'm so sorry."

Rory shook her head and pulled her in for a hug, "Don't you apologize Mom. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay…we'll get through this just like we've gotten through everything else."

Lorelai nodded against her daughters shoulder before she pulled away to face her other friends, her eyes fell on Babette and Morey first. "Babette I-"

The older woman stepped closer to her, "I know I broke my promise Sugah but I just couldn't-"

Lorelai shook her head, "It's okay. I'm glad you called her…" She looked around the porch and let out a sad laugh, "And everyone else."

"I just hated to see you that way…" Babette said honestly as she reached for her hand.

Lorelai nodded in agreement, "It's okay. Really…I'm so grateful that you and Morey came to check on me."

Sookie stepped up to her best friend, "Oh honey…are you okay?"

Lorelai took a deep breath, "Uh no…" She laughed again but looked back at her daughter who had moved to stand beside Luke in the doorway, "But…I will be."

Rory smiled encouragingly at her Mother, "Are you going to call the police?"

Lorelai sighed and walked back over to her, taking her hand in hers. "Yes. I know I have too."

"It's the only way to make sure that he can't hurt you again." Sookie whispered sadly.

Lorelai nodded and glanced over at her, "I know…"

"Look Sweetie…" Miss Patty said as she made her way over to Lorelai, "I've been in a similar situation myself…"

Lorelai swallowed hard, "Which husband?"

Miss Patty shook her head and tried to smile, "Doesn't matter. All that matters is that you need to take a stand to protect yourself and your daughter." She said as she glanced over to Rory sympathetically. "Show him he doesn't have the power to hurt you like that…show him how strong you are."

Lorelai smiled at her and nodded nervously, "Okay…"

"Anything you need…we're here for you." The older woman told her, "Even if you just need someone to talk to you know where to find me…"

Lorelai felt her eyes begin to burn with tears again as she leaned forward to hug her, "God I'm so lucky to have you all in my life…"

Babette smiled at her neighbor and best friend, "It's the beauty of living in a small town sugah, everyone knows everyone's business so everyone makes sure to help them through all the bullshit…"

Everyone laughed softly in agreement, "Is there anything else we can do right now?" Jackson asked Lorelai and Rory.

Lorelai shook her head, "No…no you should all go home. It's getting late. Rory's here with me…we'll figure it out."

Luke stood up straighter and placed a nervous hand on her upper arm, "I'm not leaving you here."

Lorelai quickly glanced back over at him and smiled when she saw the love and concern in his eyes, "Luke really you've done enough…I can't ask you to stay any longer. The cops will be here soon and they will protect us-"

He shook his head adamantly, "It doesn't matter. I'm not leaving."

"But Luke-" She tried to reason with him.

He stepped, as close to her as he could and bent down to make sure they were at eye level. He noticed how she swallowed hard and wondered if she was afraid of him like she was afraid of Christopher. Pushing the thought aside, he whispered so that only she and Rory could hear him.

"I let you go once Lorelai. I'm not going to do it again." His voice was so clear and honest she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and let him hold her until this terrible nightmare ended.

However she knew they still had a long way to go before they could be at that place again, "Luke…" She whispered with trembling words.

"I'm going to make sure he never hurts you again." Luke said searching her eyes before looking over at Rory. "You either Rory…"

Rory smiled at the man she had long ago come to love as a father figure in her life, "I know you will…"

Luke let the corners of his mouth curve up in a smile just slightly before he turned back to Lorelai, "So…can I stay now?" When he saw her begin to protest again he rolled his eyes playfully, "Even if you say no we both know I'll sit out on this porch until I know you are safe. Did you forget how stubborn I am?"

Lorelai laughed, the first real laugh she had produced in months and shook her head. "I didn't forget…"

He stood up straight again and nodded as he looked down at her, "Good. Then you know your options. Let me in and stay or make me suffer out here in the cold. And just so you know I forgot my coat back at the Diner…I was in kind of a rush."

Lorelai shook her head as she smiled. "Whatever you say Burger Boy…"

He couldn't help but smile back at her words, he watched Rory step closer to her mother encouragingly. Lorelai turned to the rest of her friends and gave them all hugs and thanked them for all they had done. After promising over and over to call if she needed absolutely anything, they finally all left the porch, even Sookie who had to be dragged by Jackson.

When they were all out of reach, Rory put an arm around her mother and cocked her head towards the house. "Come on…lets get you inside." She glanced at the black and blue bruise on her mothers face and sighed, "We should put something on that…"

Luke stepped aside to let them in first before he shut the door behind them and followed them towards the kitchen. "You have a steak or anything? That's usually the best thing to put on a bruise. That's what I did when I was a kid…"

Lorelai let Rory lead her over to the kitchen table to sit down again before she scoffed at him, "Get in a lot of fights as a kid Butch?"

He glared at her making Rory laugh as she sat down beside her Mother. "No. Got a few baseballs thrown at my face before I got the hang of actually catching them." He said as he opened the freezer to try and find one.

Lorelai shrugged, "Oh I just figured you were the tough guy on campus always fighting for some girls dignity."

Luke chuckled but didn't turn to look at her, "You're nuts."

Lorelai sighed and rested her unhurt cheek against her hand suddenly feeling tired. "I don't think there is any steak in there…I've been eating out mostly. You know I don't cook."

Luke grunted, "Really? I always thought you were a regular Martha Stuart."

She squinted her eyes at him, "Watch it Danes."

He laughed again as he took a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer and held them out to her to take. "These will do."

Rory, who had been enjoying the playful banter going on between her Mother and Luke scoffed when she saw the peas. "Since when do we have peas in this house?"

Lorelai shrugged, "We always had peas in the freezer."

Rory leaned forward and glared at her Mother, "Mom the only vegtable we have ever had in this house was potatoes and they came in the form of tater tots or French fries."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Lorelai she said rolling her eyes as she lifted the peas to her cheek, as soon as they made contact with her burning skin she winced, "I hate peas."

Rory laughed again at her mother, "Then why were they in the freezer?"

Lorelai let her gaze fall down to stare at her knees, she knew her other cheek was now red and it had nothing to do with being hit. Rory seemed to understand what her Mom couldn't say as she glanced back at Luke who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Lorelai.

"Oh…" She whispered before clearing her throat, she tried to think of someway to break the awkward tension. "Do frozen peas go bad?"

Lorelai's head snapped up as she squinted at her daughter, "I don't know. But does it really matter if your purpose for using them is purely medical rather than for nutritional value?"

Rory laughed again, "I guess not…"

Luke smiled at the two of them before shaking his head, he knew the peas were left over from when they had still been together. It seemed like such a simple thing but for some reason it warmed his heart. However, he didn't want to make Lorelai uncomfortable at the moment, she already had enough on her plate. She didn't need to add peas to it…

He took a deep breath and stepped back, "I should…call the police. The sooner they come over the sooner we can fill out a report and make sure that Christopher can't come back here."

Lorelai lifted her head to look at him as she still held the peas to her face, "Okay…"

He smiled encouragingly down at her before placing his big strong hand on her shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze before talking again. "Everything will be okay Lorelai. I promise."

As she looked up at him, she knew his words applied to more than just the situation with Christopher. She knew he meant that someway or other they were going to be okay…she trusted him to find a way.

Without saying a word, she just nodded her head, which gave him the strength to walk away to reach for the phone. When the girls were alone in the kitchen again, Rory waited until she heard Luke's voice signaling he was now talking to the 911 operator.

Leaning forward, she squeezed her mother's knee gently as she smiled lovingly at her. "You kept his peas?"

Lorelai smiled back weakly and let her gaze travel down the hall to stare at Luke's back as he continued to speak to the person on the other end. "Yeah…I kept his peas…"

Despite everything that had happened tonight and how scared she had been…she knew that no matter what Luke would keep her safe. She couldn't believe that she was in this situation, no matter how bad things had ever been in her life she never expected to be here. But through the pain she had a feeling she was somehow going to find her way back to the place she truly belonged…even if it meant she had to start eating peas again…

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**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. Let me know and I will post the next chapter as soon as I can! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm so many of you are liking the story! I will try and keep the updates coming as quickly as I can. The next two days for me are pretty hectic but I will do my best to update tomorrow! Keep the reviews coming and it will motivate me to update quicker ;) **

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An hour later, the cops had been called and had come by the house to talk to Lorelai. With Luke and Rory at her side, Lorelai was able to tell the officers exactly what had happened. Whenever she began to get chocked up again, the reassuring hand of either her daughter or the man beside her gave her the strength to keep going.

Once they finished talking, they explained to Lorelai that they would be putting out a warrant for Christopher's arrest. She seemed hesitant and unsure about what would happen next and how she would be able to keep him from coming back for her. She knew he had to show his face eventually…

After talking with Luke for awhile, they agreed that at least one officer would park outside the house for the night to see if he did come back. Luke explained that he too would be staying there in order to keep an eye on Lorelai and Rory. Once everything had been settled, at least for the night the officers walked out of the house. By now it was almost midnight and Lorelai looked like she was ready to pass out.

Rory walked her into the living room and rubbed her back gently, "We should get you upstairs and into bed…"

Lorelai winced at the idea, "No."

"Mom you really need some sleep. You've had a terrible night…staying up isn't going to make you feel any better." Rory said trying to reason with her.

Lorelai shook her head again and whispered sadly, "I can't go up there…"

Rory looked back at Luke who looked so broken once more witnessing the love of his life in so much pain. She nodded her head and began to steer her mother towards her old bedroom. "Well then you can sleep in here with me okay? I wasn't going to let you sleep alone anyway…"

Lorelai nodded slowly as her daughter led her to the small room. She didn't fight it as Rory pulled back the covers and let her mother crawl in. It felt strange that the roles were now reversed. How many times had Lorelai tucked Rory into bed at night? How many times had she soothed her to sleep after a terrible nightmare? It was ironic how things had changed…

Sighing, she rested her head on the pillow and let her eyes begin to close. "I am pretty tired…"

Rory smiled and curled up next to her Mother, she could feel Luke watching them from the kitchen but knew he wasn't about to intrude right now. "You get some rest Mom." She wrapped her arm behind Lorelai's head and began to stroke her hair gently, "Luke and I are not going anywhere, okay?"

Lorelai let her head nod gently against the soft pillow. "Okay…"

Rory leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I love you Mom…"

Lorelai managed a small smile back at her daughter as she began to drift off to sleep. "I love you too kid…"

Rory smiled and leaned down to rest her head against her mothers. She wanted to make sure she was fully asleep before getting up again. She could hear Luke quietly backing away from the room and at first she wondered where he would go. But she smiled against her mothers hair when she heard him rummaging around in the kitchen cleaning up the mess that had still been untouched.

It amazed her that after everything that had happened in the last year he was still here tonight. She knew she shouldn't be shocked…Luke had always been around when they needed him. He had been there to fix all the broken porch railings, replace the light bulbs, fix the oven and refrigerator. He had been there when she had the chicken pox and Lorelai had been worried out of her mind because she couldn't get her to eat anything.

He had been there when she had broken her arm after the car accident with Jess…she remembered how he snuck in one afternoon when he knew Lorelai was gone. She remembered how she had almost been asleep when she heard him walk quietly into her room. She had sat up and looked at her, nervous that she would be angry to see him. But when she smiled up at him he had knelt down beside the bed and sighed as he placed a bag of food on her nightstand. He had asked if she was okay and told her that if she needed anything to call him right away. And just as quickly as he had come he was gone again…but it didn't matter…he had still been there.

And he was here now despite the fact that things had blown up so badly between he and her Mother. She had thought about going to see him, going to talk to him about what really happened. It felt strange because she knew that she should feel happy that her parents were finally together. Every kid wanted their Mom and Dad to be married didn't they? She knew she had wanted that once…a long time ago but as she grew older she understood it was never meant to be and she had come to terms with it.

And then she had begun to look at Luke in a different way, he changed from their Diner friend who grudgingly served them coffee and burgers to something more. She had thought about what it would be like if her Mom and Luke finally got together someday but she never let herself get her hopes up. But then they finally did find their way to each other…and she had never seen her mother so happy. For the first time in her life Rory had felt like she could finally let go a little because she trusted Luke to take care of her now that she had her own adult life.

But then things went bad and she had had to watch her mother crumble in front of her. At first she had thought they could find a way to make it work, but when her Mom confided in her that she had slept with her Father Rory knew it was over. It had to be over…Luke could never forgive Lorelai for that.

And yet here he was, once again rummaging around in their kitchen fixing things just as he had done for so many years. It amazed her how selfless he could be, he was so different than her own father. She knew now that there had been more to the troubled relationship than her Mother cheating and she had her own anger towards Luke for his part in it.

But right now…it didn't seem to matter. All she needed to know was that he was here where he belonged, where he had always belonged. He was here and he was going to protect both of them through whatever else might happen. Taking a deep breath, Rory glanced down at her Mom to make sure that she was actually asleep. She smiled to herself when she saw and heard the steady breathing, she knew she had finally given in and let herself rest.

Quietly, Rory detached herself from her Mother before tip-toeing out to the kitchen to face Luke. He didn't hear her at first; he was to focused on cleaning and to caught up in his own thoughts. But after a moment he seemed to sense her standing behind him, he placed the now clean pot down on the sink to dry before he turned to stare at the young woman before him he would always picture as the little girl who begged him to bury a dead caterpillar for her.

It amazed him how grown up she looked, he wondered how much she had changed in the last few months. How much had he missed in her amazing life? He hated that he didn't know what was going on for her now. But he hated more that she was hurting and there wasn't really anything he could do to make it go away.

"She asleep?" Luke asked nodding his head towards the bedroom as he reached for a towel to dry his hands.

Rory nodded before turning back to shut the door softly so they wouldn't disturb her, "Yeah…she pretty much passed right out."

Luke leaned against the counter and pursed his lips, "She must be exhausted…"

"Yeah…she must be…" Rory whispered as she dragged herself over to the kitchen chair again.

Luke studied her for a moment and watched as her shoulders seemed to sag, "You must be tired too. Why don't you go back in there and get some sleep? I'm okay out here. I'll finish cleaning and then I'll go crash on the couch. The cops are outside so your Dad can't get past them…"

Rory lifted her head and shook it slowly, "I don't think I could sleep if I tried."

Luke sighed and pushed himself off of the counter, he threw the towel back near the sink before he walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "Rory…"

"My Dad has done a lot of crappy things…" She felt the tears beginning to burn her eyes again; "I've had my fair share of moments when I wanted to kill him for hurting my Mom or me…" Lifting her hand she rubbed her right eye nervously, "But this…I never expected this…"

He lifted a gentle hand and placed it on her knee. "Sometimes people do crazy things when they are mad…"

"Like sleep with their ex?" Rory said lifting her face to study his.

Luke grimaced at her choice of words before he pushed himself off his knees to settle down in the chair beside her. "Yeah…I guess so."

Rory licked her lips and turned to look at him again, "I'm sorry that she did that…"

Luke shook his head in response, "I was pretty pissed for a long time." He shrugged, "But overtime I started to understand why she did it…besides it doesn't matter now."

"But it does…" Rory whispered, "It will always matter…"

Luke let the silence flow between them for a moment before he reached out to grasp her hand, "I'm not going to leave again if that's what you're afraid of."

Rory swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at their joined hands on the table. "As soon as Babette explained what happened…you were the only person I wanted to call."

"I'm glad you came to get me." Luke said giving her delicate hand a gentle squeeze. "You can always count on me."

Rory smiled and lifted her head to smile at him, "I know…that's why I came to you." She paused, "But I will admit that I was pretty mad at you for awhile too Luke. Mom told me everything that happened…"

He sighed and began to pull his hand back again, "I don't blame you for being angry Rory. I screwed up way before your Mom did…it just took me awhile to realize that. I was too wrapped up in how hurt and angry I was at her that I couldn't see I had pushed her to do that…"

Rory gave a gentle nod to show her understanding, "Sometimes its hard to see what's right in front of you…"

Luke chuckled, "Clearly I have a hard time with that…it only took me 8 years to ask your Mom out in the first place."

Rory smiled at him, "I'm glad you found the courage eventually…I always knew you would."

Luke shook his head, "You give me too much credit…"

Rory shrugged, "Maybe you don't give yourself enough credit…" She said in reply.

Luke smiled at her, feeling comfortable in the silence that surrounded them. He never thought he would be in this house with these two women again and it warmed his heart to know that not all hope was lost. He just wished it was under different circumstances…

Rory took a deep breath before standing up, she walked to the fridge and took out two bottles of water. She turned and reached up to the cabinet to get Tylenol and walked back towards her bedroom.

"I guess I should try and get some sleep. I'll have to get up early to head back to Yale to get some things. I wasn't expecting to stay very long…" She said.

Luke nodded and stood up, "Okay. Well I won't leave her alone after you leave. Don't worry."

Rory stopped at the door and turned to look at him, she smiled and shook her head, "I'm not worried."

Luke shoved his nervous hands in his pockets and just stared at her, waiting for her to enter the bedroom again. However she seemed to be thinking hard about something, she didn't look ready to leave just yet.

"Rory?" He called out to her softly.

She waited another moment before smiling at him, "Do you remember when I had the chicken pox?"

Luke felt confused by her question but he just nodded and smiled, "Sure. You'd only eat mashed potatoes for a week." He laughed remembering what had happened, "Your Mom came running into the Diner begging me to come over because she couldn't figure out how to actually peel the potato."

Rory smiled, "That's because we didn't actually have a peeler…"

Luke grunted, "I know. She was trying to do it with a spoon…"

Rory laughed and looked back at her door hoping her mother was still asleep, she turned back to Luke and smiled. "I remember when I finally started to feel better…Mom had to force you to go home."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay…" He said shrugging as if it was no big deal.

Rory smiled, "I remember that first night you weren't here…Mom carried me to bed and she tucked me in. She sat with me, just playing with my hair to try and relax me. I knew she was tired and needed rest too…but I couldn't fall asleep." She licked her lips and looked down at her shoes feeling slightly shy about what she was going to say next, "She asked me what was bothering me…she knew that the only time I could never sleep was when I was thinking about something…"

Luke looked at her curiously, "What was it?"

She lifted her head slowly and smiled, "I told her I really wanted you to be my Dad…"

Luke felt as if someone had just squeezed his heart, for so many years he had wished he was her Father. He wanted to be the one to take care of her and Lorelai and even though he had in some ways it was never enough. At least not for him...

But to hear her say those words, it brought such happiness and warmth to his damaged heart. "Rory…"

She shrugged, "I just wanted you to know that you were always more than just the guy with the Coffee and Burgers…"

Luke smiled and shifted where he stood, "That's good to know…"

Rory smiled back and reached for the doorknob. "Good. See you tomorrow Luke."

He waited until she was hidden behind the door of her bedroom again before he let the tears that had been threatening to fall all night actually fall freely. He was so overwhelmed by all his feelings, not just from tonight but from the past few months, even the past few years. He would have been lying if he didn't think about running out the door and not looking back…

His heart was still aching over everything that had happened between he and Lorelai. But despite it all he knew he couldn't leave…not now and not ever. He loved both of the people behind that door and he was finally realizing nothing was ever going to change that.

Turning slowly, he went back to finish cleaning up the kitchen. When he was done, he walked slowly to the living room and kicked off his shoes. He plopped down on the couch and tried to calm himself enough to go to sleep. No matter what happened next he knew that he had to finally man up and stand by the two people he loved most…

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai woke slowly, at first she was incredibly confused about where she was. She tried to take in her surroundings and sighed when she realized why it was so hard to see. The side of her face was more swollen then it had been the night before…she finally realized it wasn't all just a terrible dream.

She tried to shift on the bed and whimpered when she felt the pain searing in her lower back. She had forgotten all about those bruises too…She tried to pull herself up to a sitting position to look around her daughters room. When she didn't see Rory beside her, panic began to flood her heart. Ignoring the pain all over her body, she flew off the bed and stumbled towards the door as she flung it open.

"Rory!" She screamed as the tears started to fall freely again, "Rory!" She screamed even louder.

Luke who had been down the hall finishing up a phone call quickly threw the phone down and ran to her side. "Lorelai, what's wrong?"

Her eyes turned to Luke and she instinctively grabbed his arms, "Where's Rory?"

He searched her eyes trying to understand why she was so upset, "She left a little while ago…she said she had to go back to school to get a few things. Then she was going to talk to your parents before she came back here."

Lorelai whimpered and stepped back, she put a hand on her forehead and tried to calm herself. "I thought…I thought he-"

Luke finally understood as he walked over to her again, he placed a hand on her arm and led her over the kitchen table to sit again. "She's okay. He didn't get to her…he won't get to her."

Lorelai swallowed hard and looked back up at him, "I thought you were gone too. I thought I was alone…"

He knelt down in front of her and shook his head as he rubbed her arms gently, "I was just on the phone…I had to call Lane and tell her I wouldn't be coming in."

She bit her lip and tried to wipe her tears away as he looked up at her. "I'm-I'm sorry I-I just thought-"

"Shhh…" He continued to rub her arms soothingly, "It's okay…you're okay."

She nodded her head in agreement and took a deep breath, "Okay…"

Luke waited until her breathing returned to normal and the tears had begun to subside, then he stood up and walked towards the counter. "Do you want me to make you some coffee?"

Lorelai watched him walk around her kitchen with ease; she stood up and walked back towards Rory's room. "Yeah…I just need to get something in Rory's room."

He looked back at her and smiled, "Sure. I'll be right here."

Lorelai smiled and then forced herself to enter Rorys room once again. She didn't really need anything but she needed a moment to compose herself away from him. She looked around the room and stared at the awards, the books, pictures and memories that cluttered the room. She smiled as she looked over the bookshelves that Luke had built once Rory's book collection began to take over the house. She smiled at the Yale pin on the wall and thought about how he had moved her in and out of school. She even thought of the night he had plotted to kidnap her to make sure that she didn't drop out of school.

But that night was too painful to think about…that night she had thought her whole life was going to change for the better. She thought they were going to spend the rest of their lives together and instead it had somehow gone terribly, terribly wrong somewhere along the line. She knew last night Luke had told her that he loved her, they had apologized and discussed most of what had happened. She wanted to believe that they could fix it all…but at this moment she wasn't sure they could.

She felt to scared and confused about everything that was going on, she didn't understand how it could have gotten to this point. How had she gone from happier than she ever had been to wanting to crawl into a hole and hide from everyone forever? She still couldn't believe that Christopher had actually hurt her; she couldn't believe he had hit her. They had been through so much but that was one thing she never expected…

She knew that Christopher would be angry about the letter if he ever found it. She knew there was jealousy there and she also knew he had reason to be jealous. It wasn't fair of her to agree to marry him when she knew she wasn't in love with him. But at the time she had felt so alone she didn't see any other viable options because she couldn't stand the idea of sitting in her home alone after she and Luke broke up. She was sorry that she had hurt him in the process but she also knew that no matter what she did…it didn't give him the right to put a hand on her.

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai walked over to Rory's mirror and went to lift her shirt up. She knew what the bruise on her face looked like, but she wasn't sure what she was going to see on her hips and back. She felt the sob rise in her throat when she saw the hand marks gripping both hips. Just staring at them made her feel like his hands were still there, digging in as hard as he could.

She couldn't stop the tears from falling down as she turned just slightly to look at her back. She immediately saw the dark black and blue marks caused by the continuous slamming into the counter. She began to feel nauseous as she forced herself to take a better look at her face and saw that the whole left side of her face was black and blue just like her hips and back. She couldn't stand the thought of anyone seeing her like this, but especially not Rory or Luke.

She was so caught up in her own thoughts and fears she didn't hear Luke knock on the door, he walked in when he didn't hear a response because he was afraid. "Lorelai?"

Her head snapped up to look at his reflection in the mirror, immediately she tried to lower her shirt but the damage had already been done. Luke was at her side before she could stop him; he had placed the coffee down on top of the dresser.

He tentatively reached for her shirt again but she shook her head, "Don't…"

Luke looked up into her eyes trying to get her to trust him, "Just let me look…"

She whimpered and turned her face away from him as he slowly lifted up her shirt. She tried to pretend that she didn't hear the sharp intake of breath he made when he saw the bruises. Turning her head just slightly, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye to gauge his reaction.

"Jesus Lorelai…" Luke whispered in a raw, pained voice.

He stared down at the bruised flesh and felt his blood begin to boil in anger and frustration. In the last few months since their breakup, he had thought about what it would be like to look at her body again. He remembered the way her smooth skin felt under his large tough hands. He remembered the way she always sucked in her breath when he touched her stomach because she was ticklish. Never in all of his wildest dreams did he think if he ever had the privilege of looking at and touching Lorelai Gilmore again this would be how it happened…

"It's not that bad…" She tried to reason with him when she realized he couldn't take his eyes off of the black and blue marks, "I'm fine."

Luke shook his head and lifted his face to look at her, "Lorelai it is bad…it's very bad."

She shook her head, "Luke I-"

"This is all my fault…" He whispered as he let her shirt fall from his hands.

"Luke…" She said shaking her head, "God no…please don't say that. That's not true at all!"

Luke looked at her desperately, "Well first of all if I hadn't of been such an asshole to you last year you wouldn't have gone to him. Then you never would have married him…we would be married and he never would have been able to do this to you."

Lorelai sighed and stepped back, "Luke please-"

"And then you write that letter for me and he found it and that's what pushed him to this point." He said trying to reason with her.

Lorelai licked her chapped lips and stuck out her hand to reach him, "Luke I am a big girl. I made my own decisions. I chose to go to Christopher that night. I chose to marry him. I chose to write that letter. You didn't make those decisions for me."

"But I pushed you to him." Luke said feeling frustrated as he tried to sort through his own feelings. "You know that's true…"

She sighed and shook her head again, "Luke…I never expected Christopher to do something like this. Never in a million years would I have thought this could happen but it did. I made my choices. You made yours and Chris made his own. Its just the way that it is."

"Lorelai…when Rory told me what happened I wanted to find Christopher and wrap my hands around his fucking neck." He said through clenched teeth.

"And what would that accomplish?" Lorelai asked squinting her tired eyes at him, "Hitting him the first two times didn't change anything did it?"

Luke shook his head, "It doesn't matter if it will change anything. It will make me feel better."

Lorelai smiled sadly at him as she walked all the way up to him, she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "Luke you know you can't do that…"

"Of course I can." Luke said angrily, she watched his nostrils flare in frustration. "I'm gonna fucking kill him when I see him."

Lorelai shook her head and pulled his hand closer to her, "No you aren't. You can't."

He stared at her for a moment, "Why not?"

"Because that's not who you are." Lorelai whispered trying to reason with him, "And because if you do that…you'll lose any chance you might have of being in April's life. Then that letter I wrote would be for nothing…"

Luke listened to her words and let them sink in, he knew what she was saying was right but it didn't change how he felt. He hated Christopher. He had always hated Christopher and he had hated him even more when Lorelai married him. The few punches he had been able to get in weren't enough to take the edge off. But now that he had done this, Luke didn't care if he would get in trouble, he wanted revenge. He wanted Christopher to feel the pain he had inflicted on Lorelai and then some…

But Lorelai was right…any issues that would involve the law would negatively effect his custody battle with April. He couldn't bare to think that the court would rule in favor of Anna and allow her to take his daughter away once again. He sighed and stepped away from Lorelai and started to look around the room.

"I fucking hate him." He managed to spit out.

Lorelai couldn't help but laugh, he sounded like a young boy who was angry at his parents about something. "He's not my favorite person at the moment either…"

Luke took a few deep, cleansing breaths before he turned back to her, "I just wish I could go back and change it all…I wish I could make it so that none of this ever happened."

She smiled gently at him, "I know Luke. I know…"

Sighing, he turned to Rory's dresser again and picked up the cup of coffee and held it out to her. "Here…"

Reaching out she took the mug from him and slowly lifted it to her lips; she inhaled the smell at first and sighed happily. "Hello old friend."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Clearly you missed the coffee more than you missed me."

"What can I say…I really am a Junkie. You know this." Lorelai said trying to joke with him and she smiled when she saw him chuckle softly.

"Geez…you didn't even try to deny it. I feel cheap." He teased back.

Lorelai smiled as she took a sip of her coffee, she held it down again and smiled sincerely at him. "You were always more than just the guy with the coffee and burgers Luke…"

He smirked at her; "Rory said the same thing last night…"

"Did she?" Lorelai said with a smile as she took another sip.

"I always hoped you came for more than just the coffee and burgers…" He whispered as the corner of his lips turned up into a small smile.

"Well now you know…" She whispered softly.

Luke smiled, "Yeah…now I know."

Lorelai smiled and shook her head before she walked back over to Rory's bed. She placed the cup down on the table beside it and sat down.

"So you said Rory was going to talk to my parents…" She whispered nervously.

Luke nodded as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "She is…"

Lorelai groaned and laid back on the bed, grimacing as she felt the bruises rub against her shirt. "As if my day couldn't get any better…I now have to endure the wrath of Emily Gilmore."

Luke shook his head, "I don't think she will be that bad about this. How could she be?"

Lorelai sat up and shrugged, "Who knows, she always thought so highly of Christopher."

Luke snorted, "Trust me…I know."

Lorelai frowned sadly, "If you want to leave when they get here…I'll understand."

Luke shook his head, "I told you I wasn't going anywhere Lorelai and I'm going to keep that promise."

"But what about the Diner?" She asked softly.

"Lane and Ceaser can handle it for as long as they need to. I trust them." Luke said shrugging, "Besides this is more important."

"But you don't have any clothes or anything here…" She whispered.

Luke walked closer to her and sat down at the edge of the bed, far enough away to make sure he was giving her space but close enough to know he was still there for her. "Jackson said he would go by my place and get me some clothes and other stuff…"

"But Luke…" She whispered wearily.

Luke leaned in just a little, "Unless…you don't want me here…"

Her eyes shot up to look at him as she shook her head, "Oh no. No! That's not what this is about. I just…I don't want to intrude in your life and I know you have things to do…" She shrugged, "I don't want to take up any of your time with April…"

Luke understood now what she was worried about, "Lorelai…I'm not leaving you. Not this time…"

"When are you supposed to have April next?" She asked curiously.

"Not until next weekend…" Luke said softly, "She has a lot of packing to do with Anna plus its usually easier for her with school to just come on the weekends."

Lorelai looked down and nodded nervously, "Okay…"

Luke sighed again and reached for her hand, "Lorelai, I know what you are afraid of. But I'm going to figure out a way to be there for you both."

She licked her lips sadly, "Well what are you going to tell her?"

Luke sighed, "I haven't figured that out yet. I'm just trying to take one day at a time right now…this has been a lot to cope with in such a short period of time."

Lorelai smiled nervously at him, "I still can't believe you're here…"

He squeezed her hand to reassure her he wasn't going anywhere, "No where else I should be right now."

Lorelai looked down at their joined hands and felt a sense of peace begin to wash over her. Years before when she had met Luke, she didn't understand what it was about him but he had instantly made her feel safe. That was one of the reasons she had stayed in Stars Hollow and why she had always gone to the Diner. She needed to feel safe and Luke always made her feel safe…

She smiled and squeezed his hand back and let herself relax for the first time since last night. She knew that no matter what happened next, no matter if her and Luke were ever able to repair the damage that had been caused he would always protect her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rory raced back to her apartment and packed everything she thought she might need. She explained to Paris what had happened and she in turn had agreed to talk to Rory's Professors to explain why she would be missing from class for the time being. Paris had promised to catch her up on everything she missed and told her to send her love to her Mother for her.

Once she was done at school, she jumped back in her car and drove straight to her Grandparents house. When she pulled up outside and parked the car, she had to give herself a few moments to gather her thoughts. She didn't know how they were going to react to the news…

They had both spent so many years trying to get her parents together and now that they had succeeded she worried they wouldn't believe what had actually happened. Despite all their problems, Rory knew that her grandparents truly did love her Mother even though they rarely showed it. She chose to believe that they would support their daughter no matter how difficult it was to hear this news.

Taking a deep breath, Rory exited the car and walked up to the front door. She raised her hand to ring the doorbell and waited for the maid to answer. When she did, she greeted her kindly before pulling off her coat and going to look for her Grandparents.

She found Emily first sitting in the Parlor reading, "Well hello Rory! What a lovely surprise this is!"

Rory smiled as her Grandmother stood up and walked towards her to give her a tight hug. "Hi Grandma. Sorry to just drop in like this…"

Emily pulled a way and waved a hand at her granddaughter, "Oh nonsense. You know we always love to see you."

Rory tried to smile through her growing nerves, "Is Grandpa here? I need to talk to you both about something. I would have called but this is a conversation I felt that we needed to have face to face."

Emily's own smile fell and she placed a hand on her Granddaughters arm, "Is everything alright Rory?"

"Can we get Grandpa first? I don't think I can handle having to tell this story twice." She said feeling the tears already starting to burn in her eyes.

Emily nodded slowly before she turned and walked towards her husbands study. Rory walked over to the couch and sat down, trying to steady herself as she waited. When her Grandparents walked back out to greet her, she tried to smile as Richard walked over to greet her.

"Hello Rory." He said pulling her up for a hug.

Rory let the hug linger longer than usual, she feeling of his large arms around her seemed to give her the strength she needed. "Hi Grandpa."

Emily gestured for them all to sit, "Should I get us something to drink?"

Rory shook her head and sat down and waited for them to both be seated across from her. "No. No I'm alright…"

Emily nodded slowly and crossed her legs, "Well…what did you need to talk to us about?"

Rory took a shaky breath and looked back and forth between them, "Last night I got a call from my Moms neighbor Babette. Do you remember her?"

Emily nodded, "Sure. She's the one crazy voice right? And her husband plays the piano and wears that ridiculous hat?"

Rory couldn't help but smile. "Right…that's her."

"What did she want?" Richard asked as he stared at his granddaughter trying to understand where she was going with this.

"She said I needed to come home because Mom wasn't feeling well…" Rory whispered, "But…when I got there Sookie and Jackson were there too and some other of my Mom's friends."

"But why?" Emily asked, "Was your Mother having some sort of party?"

Rory shook her head, "Babette and her husband Morey had gone over to my Mom's house earlier because they heard fighting. They wanted to check and see if everything was okay…"

"Well where was your father?" Richard asked, "If all those people were there and your Mother wasn't feeling well where was he?"

Rory felt the lump rising in her throat again, "My Mom and Dad got into an argument because Mom wrote a letter to the court to help Luke get joint custody of his daughter April."

"Is she talking to Luke again?" Emily asked trying to keep up with Rory.

Rory nodded, "I guess so. I mean I don't really know what they were doing before yesterday, I just know that my Mom wanted to help him so that he didn't lose April." She shook her head, "But that's not important…"

"So they got into an argument over this letter?" Richard asked as he fidgeted in his seat, "Did your Father get upset and leave again? Is that the problem?"

Rory sighed, "That's part of it…"

"Part of it?" Richard asked suddenly feeling nervous, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Rory, what is it that you aren't telling us?"

Rory licked her lips and lifted her hand to brush away the hair that had fallen into her face. "Dad uh…he…" She sighed again and looked straight at her Grandfather, "He attacked Mom…"

Rory heard the sharp intake of her Grandmothers breath but she only had eyes for her Grandfather. At first she didn't know what she was seeing on his face, she couldn't tell if it was disbelief or pure anger like she had seen on Luke's the night before.

"What do you mean he attacked her?" Richard asked in a strained voice.

Rory fidgeted for a moment, "Mom said they were arguing and he kept pushing her against the counter in the kitchen. She asked him to stop but he wouldn't…and then he got so mad he…" She paused and let her eyes flicker over to her Grandmother who seemed to be immobile in her spot; "He struck her across the face."

Emily stood up quickly and walked behind her chair making sure to keep her back to the other two in the room. Rory looked back over at her Grandfather and finally understood what she saw written on his face; regret and pain.

"He hit her?" Richard asked as his eyes bore into Rory's, "He put his hands on her?"

Rory sighed, "I know. I couldn't believe it either…but its true. I saw Mom…it's bad. Her face is all bruised and when we were with the police last night I was there when she showed them her back and hips. She has a lot of hand marks on her…all black and blue." She mumbled as the tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh God…" Emily squeaked out as she walked to Richard's side. "Oh God Richard…"

Richard took a deep breath before standing up, "Where is your Father now? Where is your Mom?"

Rory looked up at him as he stood so tall before her, "Mom's at home with Luke. I don't know where Dad is…he hasn't come back to the house yet. But there is a warrant out for his arrest…there is a police officer guarding the house so he may have been spooked if he saw it trying to come back."

Richard stood up straighter and pulled his suit down, "Come on Rory. We will go with you back to your house."

Emily looked at Rory for a moment before whispering, "Luke is there?"

Rory stared at her Grandmother for a moment; she desperately wished that she could change the woman's stubborn opinions sometimes. "Yes. I went to him last night because I was scared and I knew that he would protect us both. He hasn't left her side since he got there…"

Emily regarded her granddaughter for a second before opening her mouth to speak again, "Rory I'm so sor-"

Rory stood up and walked closer to them, "Don't. It will only drive you crazy." She sighed and reached for her Grandmothers hand. "The only thing I'm going to ask of you both if you want to be around Mom…is that you finally accept Luke for who he is." She looked up at her Grandfather again, "He loves my Mom and he loves me too…he'd do anything for either of us. I think he proved that last night by putting all the crap that happened between them aside and being there to protect us. You can't ask him to leave and you can't be rude…if you want to help and if you want to be a part of our lives you need to accept that he is going to be there. He's not leaving…not this time."

Richard looked down at his wife and waited for her to reply first, Emily smiled weakly. "He's a better man than I gave him credit for…" She said.

Rory nodded slowly, "Yes. He is."

Richard put a gentle but firm hand on Rory's arm before walking past her to get his keys and wallet. Rory watched him as he walked with determination to the door, he didn't turn to look at either of them again and she wondered just what he was feeling. It was often hard to gage just how Richard and Emily felt about their daughter. She knew they loved her but she never knew how they would react to certain situations and this was one situation she never pictured them all in.

Emily quickly snapped out of her own daze and began to yell orders to the maids letting them know they would be gone for awhile. She followed her husband out to the car and Rory took a moment to compose herself before following them. Her Grandparents were already pulling out of the driveway when Rory slipped into her own car. As she turned the key she said a silent prayer hoping that they kept to their promise and were kind to Luke. The last thing Lorelai needed was to be caught up in that drama again…for now she needed support and nothing more.

* * *

**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. I especially liked writing the scene between Rory and Luke because I have always loved their relationship and wanted to explore it some more. Anyway, up next will be the Gilmore's going to Lorelai's house to see her, will they keep their promise to Lorelai about being kind to Luke? Read and find out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys I am so appreciating all the great feedback you are giving me! I hope you continue to enjoy the story as much as I enjoy writing it. I have some tweaking to do on the next chapter but it should be up at some point tomorrow, possibly tomorrow night at some point and if not definitely by Saturday morning! But for now read this chapter and then drop in a review! THANKS! **

* * *

Lorelai and Luke were sitting in the living room as he attempted to get her to eat something. She was curled up in the corner of the couch with a blanket draped over her shoulders and Paul Anka resting his head on her legs as she stared at the plate of Eggs and bacon Luke had set down on the coffee table.

"You really need to eat something Lorelai. It might make you feel better…" Luke whispered trying to help her.

She shook her head, "I don't think I could keep anything down…"

He sighed, "Come on…just try and eat something. Please? I mean you didn't eat dinner last night so…"

Luke caught himself and sat up straighter, he looked at her nervously and noticed that she was staring down the hallway. "It figures the one time I attempt to actually cook something this happens…"

Luke looked down at his hands; it was too painful to look at her. "Lorelai…"

"Chris was always nagging me because I didn't cook. He always wanted to know how Rory and I survived for so many years when I could barely boil water." She licked her lips and looked back at him with a sad smile, "I guess if I had told him you were the one feeding me for all those years this may have happened sooner…"

He lifted his head to look at her; he was starting to feel at a loss for words on what to say to her about everything. They had discussed so much in the last twelve hours, more than he had expected but he felt like the reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. They hadn't had much contact in the last few months, and the little contact they did have was usually awkward or fueled by anger and regret.

Just as he was opening his mouth to say something, they heard a car pull into the driveway. Luke watched as Lorelai seemed to tense and freeze in her spot. He stood up quickly and walked to the window with Paul Anka hot on his heels, pushing aside the blinds he checked to see if he recognized the car. He watched as the Police Officer exited his own car to see who was approaching. When Rory's car pulled up behind the first car, Luke knew who was about to step out.

"So who is it? Chris or my parents?" Lorelai asked from her spot on the couch.

Luke watched as Richard and Emily exited their car and approached the police officer, "Your parents…"

Lorelai took a deep breath and pulled the blanket off of her, "Okay…"

He turned his head to look at her slowly, "Okay?"

She stood up and folded the blanket before placing it on the arm of the couch. "Well its not like I can hide from them forever." She glanced over at him and smirked, "You still have time to run you know…"

Luke turned to give her his full attention, "I told you I'm not going anywhere."

Shrugging she pulled at the sleeves of her shirt and smiled playfully at him, "Alright. Can't say I didn't give you an out at least."

He rolled his eyes and walked back around the couch to stand beside her, "I'm not going anywhere." He repeated again.

Lorelai couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him as she heard the front door open. She heard her daughter saying something to her parents but at the moment, it didn't matter. All she cared about was that despite everything that had happened, everything that she and her parents had put this man through he was still standing beside her.

"Mom?" Rory called from the foyer as she walked into the living room, "Are you up for some visitors?" She asked as they stepped closer to her.

Emily and Richard followed Rory and stopped when they saw Lorelai and Luke standing together. Lorelai's face was turned so they couldn't see the bruises but when she finally turned to face them, no one could pretend they hadn't heard Emily gasp in shock.

"Uh…hi Mom. Hi Dad." Lorelai whispered nervously, "What brings you here?" She tried to joke suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable given the situation.

No one spoke for a moment, all eyes seemed to be on Lorelai and she felt her cheeks begin to burn with shame and embarrassment. She kicked at the ground nervously and opened her mouth to speak again before her fathers voice pulled her back to reality.

"I will hire the best lawyer I can find and make sure that he never comes near you again. We'll have the divorce finalized as soon as possible. Don't you worry about a thing Lorelai, I'll take care of it all." He said in a smooth, dignified voice.

Lorelai lifted her head to stare at her father; it felt strange to hear him talk this way. She thought back to the night she had told her parents that she was pregnant with Christopher's child. Despite their disappointment she couldn't remember her father looking the way he did right now or sounding the way he did. She remembered how he said Christopher's name that night, how it came easy to him. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her or anyone else that Richard seemed unable to speak the mans name here and now.

"Dad I-" She started to say.

Richard took two strides closer to her and shook his head, "You don't have to say anything."

"But-" She lifted her hand to reach for him but instinctively pulled it back as if she had been burned. "I-"

Richard shook his head again, "Lorelai…this is unforgivable. You will get a divorce and a restraining order and that's all there is too it."

Lorelai stared up at the man she called her Father, it felt strange to her to be standing in this room with him. She would never pretend that she had an easy relationship with either one of her parents. It had been difficult since the day she had been born and proved that she did not under any circumstances fit into their idea of what life should be. For so long she could remember she had tried her best to rebel against their ideas of whom they thought she should be.

Fighting them seemed to come so naturally to her because its what she had done for so many years. Fighting with her Mother was the easiest because they both knew how to push each other's buttons. However fighting with her father always proved to be a little more difficult. They had both said and did things over the years that hurt one another but she had always felt that her father had accepted her a little more than her Mother did. He didn't have to say anything usually; just an understanding nod of approval often let her know that he did in fact love her.

But here in this moment as she looked into her Father's eyes she could see the love that she had craved for so many years. "Dad…" Her voice betrayed her as it cracked with emotion and she felt her knees begin to give out underneath her.

She could feel Luke reacting behind her as he went to grab a hold of her, but somehow Richard beat him too it. She felt herself being pulled close by two strong arms she hadn't felt in a long time. She breathed in the familiar scent of her father's cologne, the same one he had used since she was a child and the tears instantly began to fall again.

Richard held her against his chest and took a deep breath trying to compose himself. "It's alright Lorelai. Everything is going to be alright…"

She could feel herself begin to grip her father back, feeling like if she let go the world would fall apart around her. She couldn't help but think of how many times she had wanted her father to say those exact words to her over the years but instead had been greeted by silence.

Luke stepped back realizing he should let Lorelai have this moment with her Father. He knew how much she craved that love and attention from her parents that she never usually got. He couldn't deny the fact that it had been pure instinct to reach out to her when he sensed she was beginning to crumble again. How often had he been the shoulder for her to cry on over the years? Even before they had started a relationship, he was always there when she needed him and that had made him feel special. Over the last few months he hadn't been that guy and it hurt him to know that she had been hurting without him. He did wish that right now she was leaning on him but he also knew just how important it was for her to feel supported by her parents as well.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped aside and walked towards Rory and Emily. He noticed the tears in Rory's eyes and wondered if they were from sadness or if she was crying because she too understood how much her Mother had actually needed this. But he also noticed that Emily hadn't even moved from her spot beside her Granddaughter, she looked frozen in time, he wasn't even sure if she had blinked.

"Uh…" He whispered holding his arm out towards the kitchen, "Does anyone want some coffee?"

Rory turned her head to look at Luke and smiled, "Sure. Come on Grandma. Let's go into the kitchen…"

Emily let her gaze turn away from the scene in front of her and she nodded absentmindedly as Rory led her out of the room. Luke followed behind them and hoped things would continue to go smoothly, despite the fact that he had promised Lorelai he would say he couldn't pretend he wasn't nervous about seeing the Gilmores again.

Once the other three were gone, Lorelai took a few deep breaths as she tried to pull herself together again. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, gasping in pain when she rubbed the bruise on her face.

Richard sighed and rubbed her shoulders gently, "Better?"

Lorelai slowly lifted her eyes to meet his, "I'm really glad you're here Dad…"

Richard set his lips in a tight line and nodded, "Of course."

Suddenly feeling tired; Lorelai slowly detached herself from the comfort of her Father's arms and sat back down on the couch. Richard hesitated for just a moment before sitting down beside her; he stared at the plate of untouched breakfast in front of him.

"Did Luke make that for you?" He asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

Lorelai smiled and pulled her feet up under legs in a pretzel like position. "Yes. He tried to get me to eat but I wasn't feeling so hungry…"

Richard nodded in understanding and looked down the hall to look at his wife who Rory had sat down at the table. "It was very good of him to come here and help you and Rory…"

Lorelai's smile widened, "Well he's a very good guy…"

Richard turned his attention back to her and studied the bruise on her face; "I guess your Mother and I have a poor judge of character sometimes…"

Lorelai sighed and let her eyes travel over her fathers aging face, "Maybe you were just blinded by the glitz and glamour of your life. You forgot just forgot to stop and see the important things for a while…"

He nodded and looked down at his hands, which were resting on his knees, "Maybe. Or maybe we just wanted to see what the rest of the world expected us to be."

"Which was what?" Lorelai asked curiously.

He smiled sadly before looking back at her, "Perfect."

Lorelai smiled back, "There is no such thing as a perfect family."

"No. I suppose there isn't." Richard said with a chuckle, "Lord knows we are far from it."

They let the comfortable silence envelop them for a few moments as they listened to Rory and Luke rummage around in the kitchen. Lorelai shifted slightly and looked back at her father trying to understand how he must be feeling and what he must be thinking.

"Can I ask you something?" Lorelai asked softly.

Richard turned back to her and nodded his head slowly. "Sure."

She licked her lips and took a deep breath, "When you found out I was pregnant with Rory…" She paused and shrugged, "Did you really expect me to marry Christopher and live happily ever after?"

Richard smiled at his daughter and shook his head, "No."

"Well then why were you so insistent on it? Even all these years later it was all you ever wanted." Lorelai questioned.

Richard sighed, "I suppose I just wanted to make sure you were going to be okay Lorelai. I guess I thought if you, Christopher and Rory could be a family everything would work out."

"Everything between me and Christopher or everything between you, mom and me?" She asked softly.

"The later…" Richard said with a sad glance. "I thought maybe it would bridge the gap between us all somehow."

Lorelai let his words sink in before she looked down at her hands in her lap, "Dad…I just want you to know that I don't hate you or Mom."

Richard smiled and lifted his large hand to take in her small one, "Well good. Because I want you to know that we never hated you either Lorelai."

She nodded and continued to stare at their now joined hands, "I guess I just wanted you to accept and respect me…"

"Lorelai…" Richard said in a soft voice, she turned back to meet his gaze and waited for him to speak again. "I want you to know that you have made me very proud to be your father. I should have said that years ago but I wasn't brave enough…"

"Dad…" She whispered as she gave his hand a squeeze.

He shook his head to silence her, "The way you raised Rory all on your own still amazes me everyday. I don't know how you did it…how you managed to make it look so effortless and still do it better than your Mother and I did with all the help we had…" He shrugged, "I'll never understand how you did it. And then on top of that you built your own business from the ground up. And what's more…you are a good person. A better person than I ever have been and ever will be…and for that I am incredibly honored to call you my Daughter." He finished his last few words with a rough, emotion filled voice that shot right through to her heart.

Lorelai swallowed the growing lump in her throat and chuckled softly, "Well man…where you been hiding that all old man?"

He laughed sadly and leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss atop her head, "We will fix this Lorelai. I will fix this."

Lorelai breathed her father in once again and smiled as she moved to rest her head against his shoulder. She felt him squeeze the hand that he still held and for the first time in a long time she felt like a little kid again finally getting the Father she had always wanted.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Rory leaned against the counter as she watched her Grandmother sit and stare off into space from her seat at the table. She was aware of Luke moving around her as he prepared coffee and tried to find some food to offer everyone. She couldn't imagine how nervous or uncomfortable he must be feeling at the moment and yet he was still here by their side.

Pushing herself away from the counter, she walked over to Emily and held out a cup to her, "Do you want some Grandma? Luke makes the best coffee on the East Coast."

"Just the East Coast?" Luke teased trying to break the awkward tension.

Rory looked back at him and smiled, "You have some slight competition in Seattle I hear."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Great."

Rory smiled back at him before turning back to her Grandma, "It might make you feel better…"

Emily reached up and took the cup without even looking up at her. Rory stepped back towards the counter and looked over at Luke who seemed at a loss of words. She was just about to say something to him when she heard Emily's voice reaching across the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Luke." She said in a strained voice.

Rory looked at Luke out of the corner of her eye and noticed as he stood up straighter and turned his attention to the woman before him, "Oh uh…you don't have too-"

Emily lifted her head and looked directly at him. "I was unfair to you." She paused and took a sip of her coffee. "For all these years you have taken care of my daughter and granddaughter when I didn't and Christopher didn't…You were the one who made sure they were safe and well taken care of and I didn't see that. Or maybe I just didn't want to see it…"

Luke shifted nervously where he stood, "Emily you really don't-"

"I can't understand how Christopher would do something like this. But I realize now that I gave him too much credit over the years. If he had wanted to be with Lorelai he would have made it happen long before now. He could have manned up and done the right thing despite Lorelai refusing to marry him. He could have provided for Rory but he chose not too." She glanced down at her coffee nervously, "And yet you had no obligation…no reason to help them and you still did. Why is that?"

Luke let her words sink in and he waited until she looked back at him, "I don't know." He whispered.

Emily smiled faintly, "Well I do." She stood up and walked all the way over to him. "It's because you're a much better man than Christopher ever was or ever will be."

Luke stared at her for a moment, he wasn't sure what to say or how to react. This was not how he pictured his reunion with the Gilmores to go. Of course he never expected to be in this current situation but hearing Emily Gilmore speak so highly of him was a strange and overwhelming feeling. He had expected her to come in here and ignore him completely and yet she had proven him wrong. Just has he had proven her wrong…

He took a deep breath before responding, "Thank you Emily."

She nodded slowly and then took another sip of her coffee before turning back to Rory. "You were wrong Rory. I've had coffee on the East Coast, West Coast and everywhere in between and this is the best cup I've had in my lifetime." She looked back at Luke and smiled, "What's your secret?"

Luke shrugged, "I'm taking it to the grave."

Emily smiled slyly, "As you should…"

She turned slowly and walked out of the kitchen leaving a smiling Rory and a stunned Luke by themselves. Rory gave him a few moments before she turned back to him.

"You okay?" She asked softly as she placed a hand on his arm.

Luke chuckled and shook his head, "She's a hell of a confusing woman that Grandma of yours."

Rory smiled, "Yeah. She's a tough nut to crack…but once you do she's not so bad."

Luke smiled, "No. I guess she's not."

She nodded and reached for her own cup of coffee, "Just don't get to used to it. She'll probably have more snarky comments to come in the near future. She can't help it."

He laughed again, "I'll be on guard."

Rory and turned to walk back into the kitchen, she paused at the end of the counter before she turned back to him. "She's right you know. You are a much better man than my Father…"

Luke stared at her, unable to think of anything to say in return. But when she just smiled at him he knew he didn't need to say anything at all. He watched her walk away and then turned to reach for the third cup of coffee before walking back into the living room.

Once Rory and Luke rejoined everyone in the living room, Emily and Richard stood up and walked to the corner together. They seemed to be discussing legal matters and what to do about the current situation.

Rory took the seat that her Grandpa had occupied before and wrapped a protective arm around her Mother. "How you feeling?"

Lorelai tried to smile back, "I'm okay…just a little sore."

Rory nodded and rubbed her arm gently; "You were pretty restless in your sleep last night. I tried to wake you up a few times but you were so tired you couldn't wake up."

Lorelai nodded, "Bad dreams…"

Rory glanced at Luke out of the corner of her eye and saw how he stared at her mother with such love and adoration. "Luke said you haven't eaten anything…"

Lorelai glanced at Luke, "He does have a big mouth that guy."

Luke rolled his eyes, "Look whose talking…"

Rory laughed at them both, "Well the eggs are probably cold by now. Want me to get you something else?"

"I could call Lane and have her bring some stuff over. It is Danish Day." He said with a soft smile.

Lorelai's eyes lit up, "Really? God I've missed Danish Day…"

He scoffed, "Once again I see you miss the food more than me. I'm starting to think the only reason you dated me in the first place was to get free food at the Diner."

Lorelai rolled her eyes playfully, "Luke…we both know you rarely let me pay long before we ever got together. Being your girlfriend just meant I got first dibs on all the best treats."

"Oh so that was the bonus…" He said laughing to himself as he looked down at his hands nervously. "Glad I was good for something."

Lorelai smiled at him thoughtfully, "You were good for a lot of things Danes…"

His head lifted up towards hers again, "I'm glad you thought so." Lorelai just smiled back and he pushed himself off the chair he had been sitting on. "I'll call Lane. Be right back."

Lorelai watched as he excused himself and once again went on his way to do something to make her happy. How she had ever been able to walk away from him was beyond her. She smiled when she saw Paul Anka jump down from where he had been perched on the stairs and follow Luke down the hall. Her smile grew even wider when she saw Luke sit down at the table and reach for his cell with one hand and let his other hand affectionately pet the dog he had pretended to hate so much.

"Poor Paul Anka must be so confused…" She whispered to her daughter.

Rory let her gaze travel to where her mother was looking and she smiled at the scene, "He looks happy to see Luke."

"Yes. He does." Lorelai whispered back.

Just then, Emily appeared at her side but seemed unable to look her directly in the eye. "Your Father is on the phone with one of his Lawyer friends. They will find the best person to deal with this type of situation."

"Okay…" Lorelai said looking down at her hands, she too seemed unable to meet the elder woman's gaze.

Emily stared at the top of her daughter's head and let her eyes travel to the bruise on her face, she sighed and began to speak again. "You might feel better if you eat something."

Lorelai smiled and glanced at her quickly, "Luke is calling Lane to get us some food from the Diner. The eggs he made earlier are cold by now. I'll give them to Paul Anka in a bit."

Emily reached down and straighter her shirt out, "Oh. Okay well…" She paused and glanced up at the staircase, "What about a bath? That might help…"

Lorelai let he gaze fall upon her mother again, but for longer this time. She smiled thinking back to when she was a child and how she had often wished her Mother would be there for her bath times like most kids. However for her the Nanny was always the one to give her baths, she often felt like her Mother couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. She made sure with Rory that she never missed any of those precious moments during her childhood.

"Sure…a bath might be nice…" Lorelai whispered.

Emily nodded slowly, "Want some help? I can draw it for you while you get ready…"

Lorelai looked up at her slowly, "That would be nice. Thank you…"

Rory watched the exchange between them and smiled, "I'll go give Luke a list of things to get us just incase he forgets what our favorite pastries are."

Lorelai stood up and smiled at her daughter, "We both know he hasn't. But you go ahead. I'll be fine."

Rory nodded and stood up to walk towards the kitchen. Lorelai looked over at her mother and then took a deep breath before walking towards the staircase. She could hear her mother take a deep breath as she moved to follow her up the stairs towards her bedroom. Once they reached the room, Lorelai walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection again for a moment. The bruise on her face seemed to have grown larger to her and she swallowed the lump in her throat that accompanied the pain on her face.

She could hear her Mother rummaging around in the bathroom before she turned on the hot water. "The tile in here really is beautiful. It matches perfectly with this tub."

Lorelai smiled sadly and began to lift her shirt up over her head, "Luke did it all…"

Emily was silent for a moment, "I'll have to tell him what a fine job he did."

Lorelai grimaced when she saw the other bruises on her skin again, "I wouldn't. It will only remind him that Christopher was the one that benefited from his hard work."

Emily fell silent once more as she added the bubbles once the water was warm enough. Lorelai seemed transfixed by the large handprints on her hips, they seemed so unnatural to her. She felt like they were taunting her, reminding her how badly she had screwed up to get to this point.

She was so lost in thought; she didn't hear her Mother walk up behind her. "Oh Lorelai…"

She jumped at the sound of Emily's voice and grabbed a towel nearby to cover her half naked body. "Mom I-"

Emily took a few steps before she stood right beside her; she placed a hand on her shoulder and tried unsuccessfully to hold back the loud sob growing in her throat. "I am so sorry he did this to you."

Lorelai tried to think of something snarky to say back to ease the tension and to forget her own pain but nothing came to her. Instead she let out a shaky breath and looked back at herself in the mirror and watched her Mother watch her.

"I was so scared…" She whispered softly with a trembling voice. "I just…I couldn't believe that it was actually happening. It was so quick and yet it felt like it lasted for hours…"

Emily squeezed her shoulder gently; "Your Father will make sure that he never hurts you again Lorelai. Don't you worry. He knows all the best people to-"

"Deal with this type of situation." Lorelai finished for her echoing her earlier comments; she smiled at her through the mirror. "I know. You said that already." She sighed again, "I just never expected to be one of those women who find themselves in this type of situation…"

"I suppose no one ever does…" Emily whispered in response, she looked at her daughter's reflection in the mirror and then spoke again. "I should have trusted you more…"

Lorelai let her words sink in before answering, "What do you mean?"

"I should have trusted that you knew what was best for you. You thought Luke was best for you and I thought Christopher was." She shook her head and laughed sadly, "I have never been so wrong in my whole life…"

Lorelai reached up and placed her hand over her mothers, "Mom this isn't your fault…"

Emily shrugged, "I may not have lifted my hand to you but I did force the man responsible for it on you. And for that…" Another sob burst from her mouth, "I will never forgive myself."

Lorelai watched as the tears began to fall down her Mother's face. She had often pictured what it would be like if her Mother ever admitted that she had been wrong about Luke all along. This was not at all how she pictured it to be…

She had thought she would feel victorious and proud because she had proved her Mother wrong. However in this moment, she had never felt less victorious in her life. She turned quickly and pulled her Mother in for a hug and let herself once again succumb to the tears that were dying to be let out. As she stood their in her mothers arms though, she couldn't help but realize the tears they were both shedding went back a lot longer than just these few moments…

* * *

Downstairs, Rory had excused herself to call Logan to fill him in on what was happening. She had missed several calls from him and didn't want to worry him about what was going on since he was so far away. When Luke finished with Lane, he had walked back into the living room expecting to find Rory, Lorelai and Emily still there. Instead he saw Richard sitting alone on the couch with a solemn expression on his face.

He waited a moment before speaking. "Um…I made some coffee if you'd like some."

Richard turned his head slowly and smiled at Luke before pulling himself up off the couch, "Oh no thank you. I already had some this morning and unlike my Daughter my body can't seem to handle more than one cup a day."

Luke smiled, "She does have a gift that one…"

Richard chuckled, "It would seem that she does, yes." An awkward silence filled the room for another moment before Richard began to speak again. "I want to thank you for being there for my Daughter and Granddaughter."

Luke lifted his hand to wave him off, "Don't mention it."

Richard shook his head and walked closer to him, as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "No I will mention it because I know my wife and I were never all that nice to you."

"Oh you were fine." Luke said with a nervous smile, "Really. You don't have too-"

"A fathers most important job is to protect their children from all harm." He paused and looked up towards the stairs where he knew Lorelai was, "And I seem to have been unable to do that for most of Lorelai's life."

"You did the best that you could." Luke said softly.

Richard smiled again, "You are too kind Luke." He sighed, "We both know that I could have done better…"

Luke shrugged, "People make mistakes Mr. Gilmore. I mean I missed out on the first 12 years of my daughter's life. I'll never get that time back…but I'm doing the best I can for now. One day at a time…"

Richard nodded, "I suppose you are right. One day at a time is all you can really do."

Luke nodded and shoved his own hands into his pockets, "If there is one thing I do know its that Lorelai loves you very much…you don't have to worry about that."

Richard smiled sadly as his eyes welled up with tears. "Well I love her too."

Luke smiled back, "I know."

Taking a deep breath the old man pulled his right hand from his pocket and stuck it out to Luke. "You are a good man Luke Danes."

Luke smiled down at the outstretched hand Richard was offering him before he stuck out his own hand to shake it. "People keep telling me that today but I'm not sure I believe it. I'll take the compliment though."

Richard laughed as he pulled his hand away, "You should take it after all the trouble we've caused you." He paused and smiled thoughtfully, "But you should also know that you are a good man. A better man than most…" He sighed sadly, "Most men in your situation…given the history you have with both Lorelai and Christopher wouldn't have reacted so dignifiedly as you have."

Luke took a deep breath before responding with an honest and clear voice. "I love your Daughter sir. I've realized now that that is never going to change…" He laughed sadly, "Believe me I've tried to change it for years but I can't seem to shake her." He shrugged before looking him directly in the eyes. "And from now on I plan on being there for her just as I was before…no matter what happens between us."

Richard smiled, "And I know you mean what you say Luke. And believe me when I say that gives me great comfort during this difficult time."

Luke smiled back, "I'm glad to help…"

Richard nodded before looking towards the door, "Did I hear someone say something about Danishes?"

Luke laughed at the sudden topic change, "Yeah. They should be here in a few minutes. Lane is dropping them off."

Richard looked up towards the stairs, "I do hope they get here before Emily returns. I haven't had a Danish in ages and she would kill me if she saw me eating one."

Luke laughed again, "Well if she does come down before then I'll make sure to hide one away for later for you."

Richard smiled and clapped the man on the shoulder, "See…you truly are a good man."

Luke just shook his head and walked back to the kitchen to find plates for the food when it arrived. He wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen next or how they would all move past this but he did take comfort in the slight shift in the Gilmores attitude towards him. If he could gain their approval he knew that Lorelai and he could find their way out of this terrible mess. After all, finding their way back to each other would be the easy part, being liked by the Gilmore's had been a feat he never thought he'd live to see… 

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**So what did you think? I hope you liked it :) Let me know! There is much more to come! Write a review and then keep an eye out for the next chapter which is coming soon! Thanks again! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, tried to upload this last night but there was some sort of issue so I couldn't. This chapter is a little more intense than the last couple but I hope you like it. I'll try and update soon :) Thanks again for all the feedback! **

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Throughout the rest of the day, Emily never left Lorelai's side making sure she had everything she might possibly need. Her glass was never less than half empty; she made sure she ate as much as she possibly could. She had even sat with Lorelai after her bath and brushed her hair, something she hadn't done since she was a very small child.

At dinner time, Sookie had dropped by with enough food for a small army, which was gladly accepted. Lorelai and Sookie shared a short moment before Lorelai assured her she was being well taken care of and that she could go home to her own family. She thanked Sookie for all that she had done and promised to call her in the morning.

Once all the dishes were finished (by Luke and Emily who seemed to be getting along very nicely) they all retired to the living room. Lorelai looked completely drained as she sat on the couch and watched the people around her talk about anything except her situation.

Rory glanced at her Mother and saw just how tired she looked; taking a deep breath she looked back to her Grandparents. "It's getting late…I'm sure you guys have to get back home."

Richard sat up straighter, "We can stay."

Lorelai looked over at her father and smiled softly, "Dad you've done enough. I'll be fine. I honestly just want to go to bed right now…I'm exhausted."

Richard looked at his wife nervously, "Well…I didn't exactly bring anything with me to sleep in. I suppose we could go home, I could make some more calls there and then in the morning we can come right back."

Emily licked her lips, "Are you sure Lorelai? I can stay. It would be no problem at all."

Lorelai smiled, "I'm sure. You must be tired too…it's been a long day."

Emily stood up and walked over to Lorelai and awkwardly patted her shoulder, "Well alright then. Is there anything we can bring you tomorrow?"

Standing up, Lorelai quickly pulled her aging Mother into her arms and held her tightly, "No Mom. You just being here mean more to me than you could ever know."

Emily held her daughter back and tried not to start to cry again, "Well if you think of anything just call us."

Lorelai smiled and pulled away, "I will."

Emily walked with Rory to the front door as Richard said his own goodbyes with his daughter; he pulled her close and kissed the side of her face. "I love you Lorelai." He whispered so only she could hear him.

Lorelai's eyes burned with tears, "I love you too Dad."

He winked and kissed the top of her head before he followed his wife and Granddaughter out to the driveway. Lorelai closed her eyes as he walked away, trying to compose herself. It had been a hell of a 24 hours and she was beyond exhausted both physically and mentally.

Luke stepped closer to her slowly, "You okay?"

Her eyes blinked open and she licked her lips nervously. "Yeah…yeah I'm good."

He smiled and placed a hand on her arm, "It was nice that they came…"

She lifted her hand and wiped away a few stray tears, "It was nice." She sniffled softly, "And it seems they have taken a liking to you Mister. Especially my Mom…she couldn't stop raving about your coffee."

Luke chuckled, "My coffee does seem to have quite an effect on all the Gilmore Girls."

She laughed slightly, "If we had known that was the secret to her approval that would have saved us a lot of grief a long time ago."

Luke smiled back, "I guess it would have…"

They shared a comfortable silence together for a moment before they heard the front door close again. Rory walked back into the living room and smiled at them both as she stepped up to her mother's side.

"I practically had to beg Grandma to go home." She said with a smile, "She desperately wanted to stay."

Lorelai smirked, "She had Chanel on, she wouldn't have been willing to sleep in that. It would cause to many creases and Lord knows I don't have an ironing board." She said teasingly.

Rory rolled her eyes, "You're unbelievable."

"So they tell me." She said with a smile before she began to yawn again. "God I'm tired…I don't think I have ever been this tired."

Rory rubbed her arm gently before she looked back at Luke, "You know Luke you can run home too if you want. I'm sure you probably have a few things you want to take care of. Mom and I will be fine on our own."

Luke shook his head, "I'm fine."

Lorelai sighed and looked over at him, "Luke I really appreciate it but you can't hide from your life forever. Don't you want to check on the Diner and make sure that Caesar hasn't burnt it down?"

He smiled, "The Diner has run without me before Lorelai…"

"I know." She said with a shrug, "But you kind of just dropped everything and ran. You must be tired too…I know Jackson brought some clothes over for you but still. If you want to run home and shower or something you can…we'll be fine."

"Is this your subtle way of telling me I'm starting to smell?" He asked joking but also feeling slightly nervous at the idea that he might actually smell.

Lorelai laughed and shook her head, "No Luke. I just thought you might need a little time away from the crazy nut house."

He laughed softly before saying sincerely, "I think I've had plenty of time away from the crazy nut house…"

Lorelai looked deep in his eyes and felt her heart skip a beat when she knew what he was really trying to say. She licked her lips nervously and had to look a way from him to keep the tears from falling again.

"It's up to you I guess…whatever you want to do." She said nervously.

Rory smiled at them and then turned back to Luke, "It's really okay Luke. If you just want to run back home for even an hour we'll be all right. I promise I will call you immediately if we need you. But I doubt much will change between now and then…besides the Police are still outside."

Luke took a deep breath and looked through the window to the cop car, "I guess a shower would be kind of nice…"

Rory smiled, "Well okay then. You go do that and I'll just help Mom get ready for bed. I'm sure you won't miss anything to exciting."

He nodded slowly before turning to Lorelai as he placed a gentle hand on her arm, "You sure you'll be okay?"

Lorelai lifted her head to look at him, giving him a tiny smile. "I'll be fine. Just…just come back when you're done okay?"

He smiled back and nodded, "You got it."

Luke smiled at them both before walking around the couch and saying a quick goodbye to Paul Anka before exiting the house. Lorelai sighed and plopped down on the couch again trying to gather her thoughts from the last 24 hours. She felt so overwhelmed and yet at the same time she was beginning to feel a sense of peace rising in her again.

"Can I get you anything?" Rory asked as she sat down next to her.

Lorelai smiled and turned her head as her eyes fluttered open, "No. I'm good." She rubbed her daughters leg, "Besides, you need some rest too sweetie. I might just watch a movie or something until I fall asleep…"

Rory smiled, "Well I can watch with you. Want me to make some popcorn or something?"

Lorelai snuggled into the couch and smiled up at her daughter, "That would be great hun. Thanks."

Rory nodded and then walked towards the kitchen to find some popcorn. She threw it in the microwave and then walked around to find a bowl to put it in. She had just turned around towards the microwave when she heard the back door open. Her eyes lifted and she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing there.

"Hey kid…" Christopher whispered nervously.

Rory glanced down the hall to where her Mother was waiting for her and she felt her heart start to pound in her chest. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"I saw the cop car and parked a few streets back. Walked through Babette's yard to reach the back door. I just want to talk…" He said as he stepped into the room.

Rory tried to think of how she could get to the police out front without leaving her Mom alone with her Dad again. "You need to leave. Right now."

He sighed and tried to walk closer to her, "Look I know you probably hate me right now and you have every right too. But you have to know how sorry I am."

She could feel the tears burning in her eyes as she stomped closer to him feeling ready to pounce, "You're sorry? You're sorry?" She hissed at him, "How many times have you said those exact words to me over the years Dad?"

He shoved his hands nervously in his pockets, "I don't know…"

"I've forgiven you for a lot of things Dad but this is one thing I will never be able to forgive. You need to get the hell out of here now." She said pointing to the back door.

He shook his head, "Rory I just…I got so upset. I never ever meant to hurt your Mom like that. I would never do that. I'm not that guy-"

"But you did do that and you are that guy." She said glaring at him, "You can't talk your way out of this. Everyone knows what happened, Grandpa is going to make sure you never come near Mom again."

Christopher shook his head again, "Rory your Mom and I can work through this. I know we can."

"No. You can't. And even if Mom wanted to I wouldn't let her." Rory said just as the microwave beeped signaling the popcorn was done.

"Rory, your Mom is a grown woman. She can make her own decisions and I don't think she is going to listen to her kid about relationship advice." He said rolling his eyes.

"Well if you hadn't noticed Dad…I'm a grown woman too and Mom actually values my opinion. She's taken care of me my whole life and now I'm going to take care of her to make sure she doesn't take you back." She said angrily.

"Rory I-" He started to say but was interrupted by Lorelai's voice coming down the hall.

"Hey do you think if we call Luke he will bring over some pie when he comes back? I could really go for some boysenberry pie right now with some of that home made whipped cream he makes…" She said as she walked closer.

Rory looked at her Dad and saw the light in his eyes turn from apologetic to venomous and she felt her heart leap again in her chest. She was really regretting telling Luke to go home because she knew she had no way out of this without someone getting hurt.

"Although he makes really good apple pie too and usually I can get him to melt some cheese on-" Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Christopher standing with Rory. "Chris…"

He took a deep angry breath and crossed his arms over his chest, "Wow…how long did it take you to go crawling back to him after I left last night?"

Lorelai felt her hands trembling and she looked over at her daughter, "Rory…come here."

Rory's heart broke when she noticed the fear in her Mother's eyes, "Mom…"

"Just come here…" Lorelai said holding a hand out to her daughter, "Please come over here…"

Rory slowly walked over to her Mom and took her hand to try and steady her. She looked back over at her Father who looked angrier than she had ever seen him. She wondered if this was how he had looked the night before when he had attacked her Mother.

Lorelai watched his eyes trace the bruise on her face and then he relaxed, "Lorelai I'm really sorry and I know that what I did was terrible but I just…I hate that guy."

Lorelai swallowed hard and squeezed her daughter's hand tighter; she didn't seem to be able to find her voice again.

"I hate that you were supposed to marry him and I hate that I feel like a second choice." He said taking a step closer to her.

Rory stuck out her hand and glared at him, "You stay there."

Christopher glanced at his daughter and then back at his wife, "Can you please tell Rory that we need to talk on our own for a minute?"

Rory shook her head fiercely, "No. No way. I'm not leaving her alone with you."

He rolled his eyes, "Rory I'm not going to hurt your Mom."

She leaned closer to him and almost growled at him, "I never thought you would do this in the first place but you did. I'm not going anywhere."

He sighed and looked back at Lorelai, "Fine. Fine. We can have this conversation all together then." He stepped closer to them and ignored the fact that they both tensed up, "Where is Luke now?"

Rory glanced at her Mom and noticed she was still at a loss for words, "He should be back any minute so if I were you I'd walk away now. He's not to happy with you right now and I know that he could take you down."

He laughed bitterly, "Well I'm not so happy with him at the moment either Rory. If you have forgotten your Mother married me. She married ME and not Luke."

Rory shook her head, "She may have said the words but she didn't mean them and you know it. You know she wanted Luke and yet you still went through with it!"

He smirked at his daughter, "If she wanted Luke then why did she come to me that night Rory?"

"Because she was upset and she wasn't thinking clearly. You should have known better than to let her stay and you sure as hell should have known she wasn't ready to jump into a marriage with you." Rory said angrily.

Christopher shook his head; "Your Mom and I have known each other for a very long time Rory. We are your parents and I've always known that we were meant for each other. It's not like we jumped into this after only having known each other for a few weeks." He said rolling his eyes.

"No. Maybe not but it still doesn't mean you are right for each other. And this proves that." She said glancing at her trembling Mother, "How could you do this? How could you hurt her this way?"

"Rory there are certain things you can't understand about your Mother and I, okay? This is between us and not you." He said angrily, "If your Mother wants me to leave she can say it herself. She's a big girl, she doesn't need her daughter making decisions for her."

Rory looked back at her Mom with pleading eyes, "Fine. Mom tell him you want him to leave."

Lorelai swallowed the lump in her throat to try and find her voice, "C-C-Chris…I-I-I think you should go."

"You think I should go or you want me to go?" He asked leaning further into her.

Her breath hitched as she felt his body heat radiating against her own. "I-I-I want you to leave."

Chris stood up and took a deep breath, "Fine." He turned to walk away leaving both Rory and Lorelai in a stunned state but he stopped with his hand on the doorknob as he turned to look at them again. "So what now? What will you do now Lorelai? Have your Daddy hire the best Divorce lawyer he can find and then go back to your Diner man?"

Rory could feel Lorelai beginning to break beside her but she didn't know how to stop what she knew was coming. She felt the anger rising up in her and she wanted to scream at him, throw something, anything at him but she was afraid to leave her Mothers side.

"What are you going to do Lorelai? You going to have Burgers and Fries at your wedding? Will you carry a bottle of ketchup down the aisle with you instead of a bouquet? You gonna have a little baby who only wears flannel and a backwards baseball cap?" He said bitterly.

"Stop it." Rory said with a quivering voice as she heard her Mom begin to cry beside her. "Shut up."

"I mean Jesus Lorelai; you're really going to go back to him now? How fucking long did it take you to call him yesterday? You never answered me when I asked the first time. I'm sure he came running right over because he knew he'd never find anyone else to love him, he's such a loser hiding behind his Diner in this pathetic little town. Is this what you want? The famous Lorelai Gilmore is going to grow old in this ridiculously annoying town?" He said as his voice grew louder and louder.

"Shut up!" Rory yelled as she felt her Mom reach for the counter to hold herself up as the sobs began to wrack through her body.

"Things didn't work out with me so did you lure him into your bed last night like you did with me when you broke up with him? Is that your game?" Chris asked walking back into the kitchen, "Just go from one guy to the next? Or I guess in your case you just shuffle through the few guys that are willing to put up with your crap over and over again hoping one of these times it will work out?"

"Get out of here!" Rory yelled stepping in front of her Mother as he walked closer to them still.

"They were all right about you Lorelai. Everyone. Even back in High School when people knew I was dating you they all said you were no good. They all said I shouldn't waste my time with you but I did and then you got pregnant." He said as he nodded his head towards Rory.

"I'm serious! Get out of here!" Rory yelled as she felt her own tears beginning to burn behind her eyes.

"My Dad put it perfectly…he said you were nothing but a low class slut and you would ruin my life." He said looking around Rory to glare at Lorelai who was cowering behind her daughter as she cried. "I should have listened to him all along."

With those words Rory found her strength and pushed away from her Mom and shoved her Father back. "You shut the hell up! You don't have the right to say such things to her! She is a better person than you will EVER be! She gave up her whole life to take care of me and you could never give me more than a few days out of your precious little life!"

Lorelai watched in horror as her daughter started to pound her small fists against her fathers back as she continued to scream at him. She was so afraid that Christopher was going to snap and push back, that was one thing she didn't think she could handle. But despite the fear she seemed frozen in her spot, she couldn't seem to remember how to move her feet to reach for her daughter or to even run out front to get the police she was completely stuck.

"All I ever wanted was for you love me the way she did and you didn't!" Rory screamed as she continued to pound on his chest and any inch of him she could find. "You never cared! You never cared about either of us! You only care about yourself!"

"Rory…" Lorelai managed to choke out desperately.

"And you don't get to say a damn thing about Luke because he has been a better father than you ever were! He was there for EVERYTHING!" Rory screamed as the tears fell freely down her cheeks.

"Rory no!" Lorelai begged as she stumbled towards her daughter, she was afraid she had gone to far and that Christopher would lash back. "Rory please-"

"He took care of me when I was sick! He went to every ballet recital; he went to my High School graduation and moved me into college! He baked me birthday cakes and made me special coffee when I was cramming for exams! He taught me how to drive when Mom panicked and jumped out of the jeep because she couldn't handle me being 16! He stood by Mom whenever she needed him, he came and fixed things, fed us and protected us when you were too much of a coward to do it like you should have!" She screamed.

"Rory stop." Lorelai whispered as she tripped and grabbed onto her daughter just as she heard the front door open and heard the Police officer shuffle in. "Stop."

Rory let her Mom pull her back as she glared angrily at her father, "I hate you. I hate you so much and I never want to see you again. I wish Luke was my Father and not you! I hate you!"

Lorelai held Rory tightly as she watched the cop walk around Christopher and grasp his arms. "Shh…" She whispered in Rory's ears, "Shhh…breathe Rory breathe…"

"Are you Christopher Hayden?" The police officer asked, Chris only nodded he couldn't speak as he kept is eyes on his wife and daughter. "Christopher Hayden you are under arrest for assault and battery on Lorelai Gilmore. You have the right to an attorney-"

"I got it." Chris said as he put his hands behind his back, the cop pulled out his handcuffs and began to click them into place as Chris looked back at Lorelai, "I hope you and the Burger Boy are very happy together."

Lorelai and Rory watched as the Cop walked Christopher around them, through the kitchen and out the front door. Together they stood holding one another as they shook and cried trying to make sense of what had just happened. When the second officer walked in, Rory managed to pry herself from her mothers grasp and walked over to him to listen to what he had to say. Lorelai was vaguely aware of the fact that he was talking to Rory as she looked around her kitchen. Once again she felt incredibly uncomfortable and unsafe in her own home and she wanted to run.

After a few moments, Rory walked back over to her Mother and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm-I'm sorry I just…I saw him there and I got so angry and I couldn't stop myself-"

Lorelai snapped out of her daze and looked directly at her daughter, she reached out and pulled her up against her. "I love you Rory. I love you so much I just…I was so scared he was going to hurt you. God…"

Rory held her mother closer, "I'm okay Mom. I'm okay…we're both okay. We will both be okay. I promise…"

Lorelai started shaking again as Christopher's words began to wash over her again, "I have to get out of here…I can't stay here…"

Rory pulled away and tried to wipe her Mothers tears away, "Okay…come on."

She walked her Mom over to the kitchen table and sat her down. Lorelai watched her nervously as she ran down the hall and up to her bedroom. A few minutes later she came back down with a bag and Paul Anka at his side on his leash.

Lorelai stared at her for a moment and Rory just held her hand out to her, "Come on Mom."

Without asking where they were going, Lorelai stood up and took her hand and let her lead her out to the car. She felt Paul Anka jump onto her lap but she didn't even flinch. She heard the roar of the car engine as Rory turned the key and she watched in a blur as they pulled out of the driveway. A wave of nausea rolled over her and she had to closer her eyes to keep from falling apart again.

She buried her face in Paul Anka's fur and tried to keep the tears from falling down but she knew she couldn't. When the car stopped, Rory quickly jumped out and walked around to the other side to open her Mothers door. Paul Anka quickly jumped down and Lorelai let her daughter pull her out of the car. Through blurry eyes she was able to see that they were parked in the alley behind the Diner and she felt her eyes burn even more.

Rory wrapped her arm around her Mom and led her and Paul Anka towards the back door, which she knew would be open. She had seen Caesar's car out front and knew he would be getting ready to close up but she wanted to avoid him at all costs. She walked her mother down the dark hallway and up the stairs towards Luke's apartment.

She could hear her Mom begin to cry again as she lifted her hand to knock on the door. When Luke finally opened the door, Rory could see the fear and confusion was over his face.

"I was just coming back…what happened?" He asked as he stepped aside to let them into the small apartment.

Lorelai didn't even look at Luke; she pulled Paul Anka's leash from Rory and led him over to Luke's bed. She fell down in a heap of emotion and began to cry as Luke watched anxiously from beside her daughter.

"Dad came back…" Rory whispered as he her bottom lip trembled.

"What?" Luke whipped around and glared at Rory, "Where is he? What the hell did he do?"

Rory shook her head and wiped her tears away, "He didn't touch her." She sniffled, "He snuck in the back door, he said he parked a few streets away and walked through Babette's yard…"

Luke put a hand on Rory's shoulder, "I knew I shouldn't have left. I'm so sorry Rory. I'm so sorry. I let you down again."

Rory's heart broke as she heard her Mother's sob fill the room, "We started arguing…he just kept yelling at her about you and I begged him to stop."

"Did he hurt you?" Luke asked anxiously as he looked her over trying to find any sign of a bruise or mark on her.

Rory shook her head and looked back at her Mother, "Mom…" She sighed and stepped over to her as she sat down on the bed next to her and rubbed her back gently, "I'm so sorry Mom. I'm so sorry…"

Lorelai didn't move as she held Paul Anka close and cried into his fur. Rory reached down and pulled the blanket that was folded at the bottom of the bed up and over her. She stood up and pulled her Mom's shoes off and threw them on the ground before she walked back over to Luke.

"I'm sorry we came here like this…I just didn't know what to do." She hiccupped as the tears continued to fall. "She just wanted to feel safe and I knew she would feel safe here…"

Luke shook his head and looked back at Lorelai before he pulled Rory over to the couch to sit her down. He wanted to pull Lorelai into his arms and hold her until she stopped crying but he also knew he had to hear what had happened.

He put his hands on Rory's shoulders and leaned his head down to get a better look at her, "What did he say Rory?"

She sighed and wiped her tears away, "He just kept asking her if she was going to go back to you now…He said she was pathetic and would be stuck in this stupid town forever. He-he-he" She let out a strangled breath before whispering, "He told her everyone was right about her all along…he said she was a slut."

Luke felt the bile in the back of his throat, he wanted to run and find Christopher and pound him into the ground. It didn't matter what it would mean to his custody case with April. He needed to get to him and make sure that he never ever hurt Lorelai or Rory again.

"Rory try and take a deep breath…" He managed to get out somehow.

Rory shook her head and swiped at her eyes again, "He said all the things she's always been afraid of…I could feel her breaking beside me and I just lost it. I started screaming at him and hitting him over and over again about how much I hated him. About how much I wished you were my Father instead of him and he just stood there…he just stood there and took it. He didn't even try and tell me he loved me or that he was sorry he just-"

Luke sighed and pulled her up against his side and rubbed her back, "Rory stop…you need to stop. It's okay…"

She clung to his flannel shirt and tried to stop the tears from falling, "And then the cop was there arresting him and he was just gone…it all happened so fast."

Luke felt relief wash over him when he heard her say that Christopher was arrested. "I never should have left…I knew better. This is my fault…"

Rory whimpered and pulled back, "No…it's not. I thought we would be okay. I didn't think he would come back…"

Luke sighed and stood up to walk towards the kitchen, he found a box of tissues and brought it over to her. "He can't hurt either of you now. He's in custody okay? And I refuse to leave your side again even if your Mom tells me I start to smell." He said trying to make her smile.

Rory let out a soft laugh as she blew her nose, "Luke…"

"He won't hurt you again…" Luke said trying to assure himself more than her.

Rory took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she looked over at the trembling body in Luke's bed as she began to talk again. "I have never questioned whether my Mom loved me or not. I've always known she loved me…I've always known she never regretted me even though she had me so young…"

"Of course she doesn't regret you. You know you are the best thing that ever happened to her." Luke said sincerely.

Rory smiled trough her tears as she turned back to him. "I know. But I also know how difficult it's been for her…and I don't just mean how hard it was to raise me on her own at such a young age."

"Well then what-" He started to say as he shifted in his seat.

"I mean I know how hard it has been for her to deal with the way people talk about her. I always used to pretend that I didn't hear or see the whispers when Mom and I were around new people. I wasn't pretending for me…I was pretending for her because I knew how embarrassed she would get." Rory said sniffling again.

"She wasn't embarrassed by you…" Luke whispered to her.

Rory shook her head, "No. Not by me. Of herself. She was embarrassed to be that girl…the one people had to always talk about. She never thought she was good enough because people were always talking about her…that's where all her insecurities came from. And tonight he stood there and said everything she has always been afraid of…"

"God Rory I-" He said as he looked over at Lorelai.

"The bruises…" Rory said as more tears began to fall, "Those will fade but the words…the horrible things he said will stay with her forever. He reaffirmed everything she thought of herself and I'm not sure she will be able to get past it…"

Luke watched the rise and fall of Lorelai's shoulders as she clung to Paul Anka for dear life. For as long as he had known her he had watched her try and be the strongest woman in the world. And in reality she was the strongest woman he had ever known. She had been through more than most people but she always came back standing taller than before.

But despite that, he knew deep down Lorelai was an incredibly insecure person. He knew she was afraid that people looked at her differently because she had been a teenage mother. He knew she worked so hard to make sure that they saw more than the choices she had made as a teenager. It broke his heart to know that she couldn't see just how amazing she was, not only as a mother but also as a friend and businesswoman.

Suddenly Rory stood up and began to walk towards his apartment door, "I need to call my Grandpa. He told me to call if anything happened…and now that the cops have him in custody we will need that Lawyer sooner rather than later."

Luke stood up and followed her towards the door, "Right. Okay."

Rory stopped at the door and turned back to him, "Will you stay with her? I don't want her to be alone…I know this might be awkward to have her in your bed and I'll help you move her later. I just didn't-"

Luke shook his head and put a reassuring hand on her arm, "You aren't going anywhere. Neither of you."

Rory's lip began to tremble as she nodded, "I told him I wished you were my Father." She wiped at the few tears that fell again and smiled sadly, "I have never meant anything more in my life Luke. I really do wish it was you…" She paused before continuing, "But the more I think about it…he may be my father by blood but you did all the things he was supposed to do. You were more of a father to me than he ever was Luke…"

Luke swallowed the lump in his throat, "I wish I was your Dad too Rory…"

She smiled softly before turning again to walk out into the hallway to call Richard and Emily. Luke took a deep breath before walking through his apartment and over to his bed where Lorelai was still lying. He watched as Paul Anka lifted his head and whined, he knew he hated it when Lorelai cried. When she had been fighting with Rory after they first got him, Luke would often come home to find Lorelai crying in bed with Paul Anka at her side, his head resting on her legs as he whimpered along with her.

Luke smiled and leaned down to pat his head as he sat down beside them. "Lorelai…" He whispered to her.

After a few moments, she finally moved her face to look at him, her eyes were red and puffy and the bruise on her cheek looked agitated from being pressed against Paul Anka. "I'm sorry Luke, I'm sorry…" She managed to choke out.

Luke sighed and pulled himself up onto the bed, he leaned against the headboard and pulled Lorelai up beside him. He rested her head against his stomach and began to rub her back in soothing circles.

He felt her begin to relax against him as he held her close but the tears continued to fall, "Lorelai you have nothing to apologize for…"

She whimpered and pulled away just slightly just enough so she could see his face, "But…but Christopher was right."

Luke shook his head quickly and leaned down to her, "God no. No he wasn't right Lorelai. Not at all…"

Her lip trembled as he spoke, "But that night…that night when I left the Diner I went there. I went to him and I slept with him with your ring on my finger."

Luke grimaced and cleared his throat, "Lorelai-"

"And I married him because I was afraid even though I loved you. And then when things didn't work out with him I came running to you…I'm a horrible person." She said as the tears soaked into Luke's pillow.

"Lorelai we talked about this. We both made mistakes and yes it does hurt that you went to him that night but I know it is because I pushed you to him." Luke said leaning down to push her hair out of her face as they stuck to her tear soaked cheeks. "And you didn't come running Rory came and I would be there no matter what, you have to know that."

She lifted her hand to cling to his arm, "I'm horrible Luke. I don't deserve to have you here with me. I shouldn't be in your bed letting you comfort me…I deserved this."

Luke sighed and leaned down over her to cup her cheek, "Stop. Please stop. You did not deserve this. Christopher is a coward and he doesn't deserve you. I don't deserve you."

"This is all my fault." She pushed him away and sat up on his bed making Paul Anka scoot closer to her sensing her pain. "I did this."

Luke stood up and walked around the car and sat down beside her again, "Lorelai please…"

"I have tried for so long to prove to everyone I am more than what they see. And I tried to hard that I screwed it all up more than I already had. I know what people think of me…teenage mother…some stupid girl who got knocked up on her parents balcony." She said as she leaned forward and continued to sob.

"Screw those people Lorelai. Why do you care what people think? The people that really love you don't think that, they know how amazing you are. I know how amazing you are." He said trying to plead with her as he pulled her close.

Lorelai shook her head, "I let you come over and fix things, feed me and Rory for years. I let you be there for it all because I was selfish because I needed you but I was to afraid to admit it."

"Lorelai please…" He whispered reaching out to rub her arm. "Please stop…"

"I am so screwed up that I ruin every good thing that happens to me. I hurt everyone I care about. I can't make anything work out because I am so freaking screwed up and I always have been." She wailed into her hands.

Luke stood up and knelt down in front of her, he pulled her hands away from her face and tried to make her look at him. "Lorelai stop it. Stop this right now. Do you hear yourself? Do you? Do you hear what you are saying?"

"Luke I'm a terrible person…why? Why are you here trying to help? Why?" She said staring up at hi in disbelief.

"Because I love you." He said simply trying to get her to understand.

"But why?" She sobbed, "Why? How could you love someone like me? I am horrible."

Luke shook his head adamantly, "Do you know what I thought when I saw you for the first time?" She continued to cry and refused to answer so he spoke again, "I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I mean yeah you were driving me crazy because I was so busy at the Diner and you wouldn't leave me the hell alone but I remember thinking…how is it possible for someone to be that beautiful?"

She whimpered and shook her head trying to pull away form him, "Luke-"

"And then I got to know you and I realized you were a single Mother. I couldn't believe how hard you worked for your daughter. And you never ever complained…I remember all the nights you refused to eat because you could only afford to feed Rory." He said grasping her hands in his, "Sometimes I used to have to beg you to eat because you were always to proud to not pay. I watched you work your ass off, day and night to support Rory. And you still found time to make dresses for the school plays, and volunteer for all of Taylor's stupid town festivals."

"Luke please…" She whispered again looking away from him.

"You are always the first person to step up when someone needs help. You push me Lorelai…I used to hate it or at least I thought I did but now I realize it scared me. You pushed me to be better. You made me do all that crazy town stuff and I complained about it but I really actually loved it because it meant I got to do it with you." He said searching her tear filled eyes, "If I got to be closer to you at anytime doing anything I wanted to do it…I needed to do it. Don't you know how long I've been in love with you?"

"But you shouldn't…" Lorelai whimpered again, "I don't deserve you."

Luke sighed again, "Don't you know just how amazing you are? Don't you know how much you deserve?"

"I cheated on you…and then I married him and let him think I loved him. But I loved you…every time he touched me I pretended it was you." She laughed sadly, "What kind of person does that?"

"The kind of person who has been hurt…" Luke whispered to her, "I know that now. I was angry before…and it still hurts to think about but I know I screwed up too. No one is perfect Lorelai. No one…but no one deserves this. Especially not you."

Lorelai took a deep breath before sitting up straight to look at him, "But I want to be perfect for you…"

Luke sat up on his knees more and pulled her hands up to his lips to kiss, "You are perfect Lorelai. You've always been perfect…that's why I was too afraid to tell you how I felt for all those years. You're everything I've ever wanted I just never knew how to say it…"

She sighed as her tears started to subside, "He was standing there saying everything that I had been afraid of my whole life and I just…I couldn't even fight back."

"I know…" He whispered as he lifted his arms to rub her arms, "I never should have left…I'm so sorry."

"And then I was so afraid when Rory started to yell at him…I was so afraid he would hurt her but I couldn't move. It was like my feet were stuck in quick sand…I couldn't get her and I was so afraid…" She said shaking her head as the tears burned again.

Luke stood up and kicked his shoes off; he pushed her back on the bed and lay down beside her. "Shh…no one is going to hurt you or Rory ever again. No one."

"I'm so sorry Luke…I'm so sorry for all of it." She mumbled against his chest as he held her close. "I'm so sorry…"

Luke wrapped his hand in her hair and kissed the top of her head, "I know. I'm sorry too. But we will figure this out Lorelai…we'll figure this out. Chris is in custody now and he can't get to you or Rory again…"

"Please don't leave…" She whispered against him, "I can't do this without you. I'm just so tired but…I can't do it all without you. I need you…"

Luke pulled her even closer and kissed her head again, "I'm not going anywhere Lorelai. Never again…"

Lorelai breathed him in and tried to relax, as she felt him run his hands through her hair she felt herself finally succumb to sleep. She gave her whole body over to him as he held her close, whispering words of comfort and love to her. His voice was finally drowning out the words that Christopher had said to her and she tried to believe what Luke had said about her.

Lorelai didn't even hear the apartment door open again as Rory walked in. Luke glance over at the young girl and tried to smile as he felt Lorelai's breath even out against his chest letting him know she was finally asleep.

"Is she okay?" Rory whispered softly.

Luke shook his head as he continued to run his hands through her hair, "No. But she will be. I promise."

Rory nodded slowly, "Grandma and Grandpa are coming back first thing in the morning. He's talking to his lawyer right now…" She watched as Luke just nodded her his head not wanting to disturb Lorelai, "I uh…I really don't want to go back to the house and I-"

Luke smiled at her, "I don't think April would mind if you slept in her bed."

Rory swallowed hard, "How did this all happen?"

He sighed. "I don't know Rory…"

She nodded sadly and looked down at her Mother, "I just…I hate to see her like this."

"I know. But she's going to be okay…we're all going to be okay." Luke tried to reassure her.

Rory smiled and then turned on her heel and walked over to April's bed. She didn't even bother to change into the clothes that she had packed for herself. She kicked off her shoes and pulled back the covers just as Paul Anka jumped up on the bed to comfort her. She smiled and pulled the dog close as she looked over at the large bed and watched as Luke continued to soothe her sleeping mother. She felt drained, physically and emotionally and prayed that this would all be behind them as soon as possible.

She wanted to see her Mother happy again…and she knew the only way that would be possible would be if she was able to move on with her life with Luke. She just hoped that her father's words wouldn't hold her back any longer, she had punishing herself for her mistakes for long enough. It was finally time for her to truly be happy…

* * *

**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. I will be kind of busy with Easter and visiting family but I will do my best to update as soon as possible! Thanks! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been a week since I updated! I've been so crazy busy I haven't had time to write or upload anything. I promise I will try harder this week and hopefully I'll have another chapter up within the next few days. I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for your patience! **

* * *

Lorelai woke with a jump, her dreams showed nothing but Christopher in her kitchen yelling at her and Rory. For a moment she thought she was still there but when her eyes finally fluttered open she realized where she was. And in a strange way…she wished she was still in her kitchen even if it meant that Christopher would be there yelling at her again.

Being in this bed…in _his _bed brought up to many memories that hurt more than the bruises on her face. The smell of him started to envelope her and the tears began to prickle in her eyes again. She remembered that first night when he had held her so gently she felt like he was afraid she would break. She remembered the way it had felt as he laid her down before him and worshiped each and every part of her body until she couldn't take anymore. She remembered how safe she had felt in his arms, like nothing and no one could eve come between them.

It had all seemed to perfect then, she had been so sure it would work and then somehow it had all gone wrong. So terribly wrong…And now here she was lying in his bed alone and left to try and drown out the terrible memories of what was really going on in her life. She wanted to go back…she wanted to start over with him and make sure she never let him go again but she knew it was impossible. There was no going back…not from any of this.

She pulled herself up slowly and let her eyes adjust to the light in his room, she turned and saw Rory asleep in April's bed with Paul Anka at her side. He lifted his head slowly and she saw the slight wag of his tail when she realized that she too was awake. The soft sounds in the kitchen caught her attention and she turned to see Luke filling a cup of coffee before turning and smiling slightly when he saw her.

He turned back to Rory to check and make sure she was still asleep before he walked over to his bed and sat down beside Lorelai. He watched her swallow the lump in her throat before he handed her the mug and lifted his still warm hand and smoothed some hair out of her face.

"Did I wake you?" He whispered softly.

She leaned into his touch and shook her head as she pulled the mug closer to her chest, inhaling the heavenly aroma. "No…Bad dream."

He nodded once and let his hand fall from her face, "You were crying a lot in your sleep…"

She licked her lips and turned her head away from him, "Luke I'm so sorry…" She chocked out softly as she placed the mug on the bedside table.

He shook his head, "Don't…"

She whimpered softly and took a ragged breath, "I can't…I can't keep doing this to you. It's not right. It's not fair…and it makes Christopher right…"

He winced at the sound of her voice, "What do you mean he's right? Lorelai we talked about this last night…"

She sighed and reached up to wipe the fresh tears away from her face, "It's like these past few months I've been only been living a half life. Since the day I met you Luke I needed you…I counted on you and went to you for everything."

"Lorelai…" He whispered wanting to pull her into his arms again but worrying he would scare her off.

"And it wasn't right…it wasn't fair to you. Not then and not now Luke…" She sniffled as she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugging them tight, "It's not right…"

Luke let her words sink in for a moment before reaching a strong but gentle hand out to her arm, "Don't you know that I would do anything for you? Then and now?"

She tilted her head, resting her cheek against the top of her knees, "Yes…"

"Things are really screwed up right now…I know that. Not just about this thing with Christopher but with how things ended between us." He paused and laughed sadly, "Although they never really ended…not for me…"

"Luke…" She whispered licking her lips nervously.

"But I'm here. I'm here Lorelai and I'm not going anywhere. I told you yesterday, I let you go once and I'm not going to do it again." He said honestly hoping she would understand just how sincere he was.

She sniffled again and looked up at him through her heavy eyelids, "I need you to know something…"

He rubbed her arm with his thumb gently, "What?"

She took a nervous breath before continuing, "That night…"

He shook his head, "Lorelai I don't want to talk about you and him-"

She lifted her hand to grab his other hand, "Just please…please listen to me. I need to say this. I need you to understand and then we'll never talk about it again if that's what you want…I swear."

Hearing the desperation in her voice made him give in, he sighed and nodded slowly, "Okay…"

She licked her lips again and scooted closer to him, "I didn't…I didn't mean for that to happen. My head…it was all screwed up and everything hurt. I was so screwed up Luke and I just…I needed to feel something…anything that would take my mind off of you."

He grimaced again, "Lorelai I don't know-"

She shook her head and gripped him again, "I was so afraid to be alone. If I was alone I knew…I knew I'd fall apart and I didn't think I would survive if I did, if I really let myself understand what was happening I knew I wouldn't get back up…"

He thought back to that night, the look of desperation and fear on her face had scared him and yet he still couldn't understand just how much she had been hurting, "I should have-"

"I just needed to feel anything other than that pain…" She sighed and pulled her arm back again, holding her legs tightly feeling a slight shiver run through her spine. "I thought…afterwards I'd be okay but God…" She heard the sob in her throat and she hated the way she sounded, "It hurt so much more than I thought was humanly possible…" She ignored the pained look on his face and absently wiped the tears from her face away, "And then you were there at my house saying all these things and I just wanted you to hold me…I wanted to go with you and pretend none of it had happened…but I knew I couldn't do that to you."

He watched her lift her head to look at him and he cleared his throat when he felt her pause, "When you told me what happened…I thought someone had literally sliced my heart out Lorelai…"

Her lip trembled and she nodded, "I know…I could see it on your face. I kept telling myself you hurt me first…but it didn't help. God I hated myself…I've never hated myself more than in that moment Luke and you will never know how sorry I am."

He shifted slightly and ignored the dull ache in his chest, "I should have seen how much you were hurting before that Lorelai…I should have known."

"You had a lot going on in your life…" She whispered softly.

He shook his head and scooted closer to her so that his knee touched her shin, "But you were just trying to help me and I pushed you away…" He watched her stare intently at him and he continued, "But I need you to know it wasn't because I didn't love you. I was just scared Lorelai…I was scared and ashamed." He sighed and shook his head to try and rid the fears that had pushed them to this place in the first place, "I was scared you would see me differently…I was afraid you would compare me to Christopher because I wasn't there for my kid…"

She shook her head quickly, "God no Luke. I could never think that! You didn't know about April…it was a completely different situation."

He nodded slowly, "I know that now. I know you wouldn't have looked at me like that but I just…I needed to make sure it was all perfect for you. I wanted it to be perfect for you Lorelai…"

She smiled weakly at him, "Luke…out of all the crazy messed up things in my life you were always the closest thing to perfection I ever had. The good bad and the ugly…you were perfect to me…" She shrugged sadly, "You loved me when no one else did…you loved all of me even when I was at my worst you loved me."

Luke smiled at her, "I tried to deny it ya know…deny my feelings for as long as I could. I always thought you deserved better…"

She shook her head, "I wanted you Luke. But I didn't deserve you…I never did and I still don't."

"You didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you in the end…" He shook his head, "You need to know that. You deserve so much better."

She nodded slowly, "I know. But you deserved more than me going to Christopher…"

He laughed sadly, "We always did have a problem with communication you and I…"

She laughed back, "I guess so…you'd think somewhere in those 8 years before we got together one of us would have cracked and admitted our feelings."

He smiled, "You would think…"

She sighed again and let her knees down and curled them underneath her, "But still…I just need you to know that me marrying him…"

He sighed again and shook his head, "It's okay don't-"

She pushed on despite his protests, "I didn't love him Luke…I need you to know that I didn't love him. It wasn't about love…"

He stared at her for a moment before responding, "Then what was it about?"

She sighed, "It was about not being alone…because if I was alone I had to think about how badly it all got screwed up. I'd have to think about how I would never be with you again and I couldn't do it…it was killing me Luke. It was literally killing me…"

"When I saw the ring on your finger that day at the hospital…" He sighed, "I just couldn't believe it…"

"I know. I never wanted you to find out that way…" She paused before laughing sadly, "Actually I never wanted you to find out because then I had to admit what I had done to myself…"

They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "I meant what I said that day…"

She cocked her head to the side and glanced up at him, "What?"

"My life doesn't mean anything if you're not there…if I'm not sharing it with you nothing matters." He whispered honestly.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand, "I know what you mean…"

He reveled in the feel of her soft fingers rubbing his hand gently, "What a fine mess we have created here Miss Gilmore…" He said with a chuckle.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

He leaned forward slowly and kissed her forehead, "I forgave you a long time ago Lorelai…"

He pulled away only enough to cup her face in his hands and stroke her cheek, "You did?" She questioned.

Luke nodded slowly, "I did. But I couldn't forgive myself for letting you down…after all we had been through…after waiting all that time to be with you I screwed it up royally and I hated myself. I still do…"

She leaned into his touch and breathed him in, "You shouldn't. We both made mistakes. We're only human Luke…it's what we do. We make mistakes…people make mistakes and they learn from them."

He nodded slowly and let his finger glide along the outline of the bruise still dark on her face, "I guess so…"

She sighed and reached her hand up to cover his against her cheek, "Luke…" She licked her lips again and scooted closer to him, "I just…I don't know what happens next…"

He nodded slowly, letting his other hand tangle in her hair. "I know…"

"But I just…I need to figure this all out." She whispered as she searched his eyes hopefully, "I know I love you. I love you so much…more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone…"

"Lorelai…" He whispered with a strained voice. "I-"

"I just…I need to fix this mess before I can…" She paused and sighed slightly, "Before we can…" She stopped herself again and looked deep into his eyes, "I mean…that is if you even want too try and fix this…"

He leaned his forehead against hers and willed himself to not kiss her, he knew she wasn't ready. "I need you in my life Lorelai…"

She felt another tear slide down her bruised cheek but she tried to ignore it, "Can we do this? Can we fix this? Can we fix us?"

He pulled her closer, still trying to respect her space but needing to feel her against him again. "Yes. We can. I know we can."

Her hands trembled as she held him close, "It's not fair to ask you to wait anymore than you already have…but I think I need too."

He nodded slowly, "I know…and it's okay. We can't rush this Lorelai…we need to do this right this time around. I won't let it fall apart again…"

She sighed happily and pulled away only so she could look at Rory, "She must be exhausted…"

Luke followed her gaze and nodded, "Yeah. She seemed to pass out after she talked to your parents last night."

She groaned, "I don't want to face it all. I feel safe here with you and Rory…I want to stay here and pretend it all didn't happen."

He nodded and turned back to her, "I know you do. But you know that you can't…"

She smiled weakly, "I know." She paused and looked at the clock and saw that it was still very early. "But maybe…maybe for just a little longer can we hide? Just hold me? And then…then I'll face it all."

He smiled softly and nodded, "Of course."

She let him lead her towards the top of the bed and lay her down beside him. She felt him wrap his arm around her, pulling her up against his chest and she clung to his shirt tightly. The scent of him, the feel of him holding her here in this bed would have scared her the night before or even right when she woke up. But hearing his words, feeling him against her she knew he meant what he had said. She knew he meant it when he told her he wanted to be with her and she knew that that was all she needed to get through this…

As long as she had Luke and Rory…the rest would fall into place.

* * *

An hour later, Lorelai woke up again and reached out hoping to find Luke beside her. She whimpered softly when she found the space beside her empty and she sat up quickly, afraid that he had changed his mind again. She calmed only slightly when she saw Rory walking towards her with a plate of food and another coffee mug.

"Good morning sleepy…" She whispered as she sat down beside her.

Lorelai smiled and took in the sight of her grown daughter, "Hey kid…how you doing? Did you sleep okay?"

Rory smiled, "Yeah. Paul Anka kept me company…kept the nightmares at bay."

She smiled and looked around the apartment, "He's a pretty good companion when he wants to be." She paused and frowned, "Where is he anyway? And where's Luke?"

"He took him for a walk." Rory said setting the plate and mug on the bedside table.

Lorelai snorted, "How did Paul Anka manage to get the collar and leash around Luke's neck? That's something I'd like to see! I bet Miss Patty and Babette are taking pictures as we speak and coming up with all sorts of dirty jokes…"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Mom…"

She laughed, "Sorry…gotta keep the humor or else I remember the pain…"

Rory nodded slowly and reached for the plate of food again, "You should eat something…"

Lorelai sighed and reached for a piece of bacon before popping it in her mouth, "I'm sorry you had to see all that last night…I'm sorry you had to hear it."

Rory frowned sadly, "It's okay Mom…I'm glad I was there. I didn't want you alone with him. And besides…I had to see him at some point."

She chewed her bacon for a few more moments before letting her arm fall beside her again, "You know kid…I uh…I want you to know that you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

Rory swallowed the lump in her throat feeling the ache in her chest rise again, "Mom you don't have too-"

She sniffled and silenced her daughter, "I mean when I found out I was pregnant I won't pretend it wasn't a shock. I won't pretend that I wasn't terrified but…" She paused and lifted her head to smile through her tears, "But when those doctors handed you to me for that first time…my whole life changed for the better."

"Mom…" Rory whimpered softly.

"And I just…I always wanted to make sure that your life was as good as it could possibly be. And I know I made a lot of mistakes and I'm sorry for that…" Lorelai said in a chocked whisper.

Rory shook her head, "You gave me an amazing life Mom. The best life. You have to know that."

"But I wish I could have given you more…I wish I could have given you the whole package." She whispered as she closed her tear filled eyes tightly.

Rory sighed and reached for her arm, "I didn't need Dad…I had you. And you were more than enough."

Lorelai smiled sadly, "But it would have been nice for you to have him in your life. More than he was anyway…"

Rory shrugged and squeezed her Mother's hand, "Sure. But Dad made his choices Mom. You always made it clear that if he wanted a relationship with me he could have one. He had his chances…and he blew them all. I mean there were times when I thought about it…about what it would be like if we were all together but then he'd show up and make promises before riding off on his motorcycle again and I'd remember I didn't need him because I had you…"

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt…" Lorelai whispered.

Rory shook her head, "No. It doesn't. But it's okay Mom. I'm okay…And so are you. We're both going to be okay…"

She nodded slowly before responding again, "I just want you to know that if you decide you still want him in your life now I will be okay with that."

Rory shook her head adamantly, "No. That's not even an option anymore Mom. Dad has done a lot of crappy things but this is unforgivable."

Lorelai sighed and pushed on, "I don't condone what your father did. And if any man ever laid a hand on you like that I would kill him. But…this wasn't all him kid. I made some pretty big mistakes this last year…things that I can never change."

Rory nodded, "Maybe…but it still doesn't make what he did okay. If he was hurt or angry with you than he could have found another way to express that."

Lorelai nodded, "I know but…"

Rory shook her head more forcefully this time and grasped her Mother's hand as tight as she could, "No. No buts Mom. It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do. Dad has known you for a long time Mom…he knows you well enough to know that you weren't ready for all of this. He knew you still loved Luke and he knew you were vulnerable…I'm not saying he didn't want to be with you or he didn't love you because I think he did…" She shrugged, "But I think that he used your break up with Luke to his advantage because he knew you were hurting and wouldn't want to be alone…it was the perfect time to sweep you off your feet."

"I guess but I-" Lorelai tried again.

Rory shifted so she was looking her Mother straight in the eyes, "Dad knew you still loved him Mom. He knew it and he was afraid of it…he knew that somewhere down the road those feelings would come to the surface again and he panicked. When he saw that letter he knew in his heart he could never compete with what you and Luke have and he snapped. But he knew Mom…I know how knew…he's not stupid. He's just a real coward…he always has been. He was to afraid to make a commitment back then and this time he was to afraid to accept that you weren't what he wanted."

Lorelai smiled through the tears and reached out to stroke Rory's hair, "How the hell did you get so smart kid? I've always wondered that…"

"Well I had a pretty great Mom who made sure I could have access to everything and anything I would ever need or want in life." Rory said smiling, "Most of what I have learned never came from books Mom…it all came from you."

Lorelai felt the dam break and didn't even try to wipe the tears away as she pulled her daughter as close as possible, "I love you kid. I love you so much."

Rory felt her own tears burning in her eyes as she held her mother back, "I love you too Mom. Everything is going to be okay…I promise."

They sat together on Luke's bed holding each other, no more words needed to be spoken. They both knew that they would find a way through this just as they found a way through everything else in their life. Together.

When the apartment door finally opened again and the soft pitter patter of Paul Anka's paws pulled them apart, Lorelai wiped her tears away and smiled at Luke who stood in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt them.

"He missed you you know…" Lorelai whispered as Paul Anka jumped up on the bed and licked her face.

Luke smiled and leaned against the doorframe, "Well I missed him too." He paused and then said, "I missed all three of you crazy Gilmore's…"

Rory smiled, "We are pretty loveable."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked into the apartment, letting the door close softly behind him. "Apparently so."

Rory beamed up at him, "Oh come on admit it Luke. The day Mom and I wanted into the Diner you know you were a gonner…"

Luke chuckled as he stood at the foot of his bed smiling at the two women that had stolen his heart so many years earlier. "I don't have to admit it Rory. You both know that's true…hell the whole town knows its true."

"Well I wish someone would have explained it to me sooner." Lorelai said with a playful pout.

Rory rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her Mother, "Its not like we all didn't try. Babette, Miss Patty and Sookie dropped hint after hint for years. And if I remember correctly even Grandma mentioned it a few dozen times…"

Lorelai stuck her chin up in the air and huffed, "I don't know what you are talking about…"

Rory groaned and stood up, "You're impossible." She turned back to Luke and put her hands on her hips, "I don't know what you've seen in her all of these years."

Luke shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, "I haven't been able to figure that out myself…"

Lorelai scoffed and stared up at the two most important people in her life. "Hey! I take offense to that Mister! You both know that I am pretty freaking amazing."

Rory shrugged, "Yeah but if we admit that than we will never live it down."

Lorelai pouted again and lay back on the bed, pulling Paul Anka closer to her, "You are both terribly mean to me. I don't know why I put up with you two!"

"Probably because we are the only two people on the planet that tolerate your crazy." Rory said jutting her hip out slightly with a smirk on her face.

"Well if I'm crazy then you're crazy because you are a byproduct of me." She said pointing at her daughter, "And he's crazy because he has no relation to me but still chooses to keep me in his life." She said nodding her head towards Luke.

Rory nodded slowly, "Yes. That does make him the craziest of all of us."

Luke snorted and looked back at Rory, "How do you figure?"

"Because like Mom said…you had no obligation at all to stick with us and yet you did. I had to claim her because she's my Mom but you…" She said pointing a finger at him, "You claimed her because you actually wanted her!"

Luke laughed, "Well then I guess I am crazy…"

Rory smirked at him, "Crazy in love…" She mocked.

Luke groaned and turned away from them, "God you are so much like her it's scary…"

"But that's why you love me too Luke!" Rory said smiling after him as Lorelai laughed from her spot on the bed, "You love the crazy!"

"God help me I do…" He said shaking his head as he walked back to the kitchen and put some eggs on a plate for Paul Anka.

Rory smiled again and looked back at her Mom, the bruise was still there on her face but underneath she was finally starting to see her old Mom again. "See…I told you we were going to be okay…"

Lorelai turned her head to smile at her daughter, she reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, "Yeah. We are. We really are kid…"

Rory smiled once more before pushing the plate towards her Mom again, "Eat. I'll help Luke with the dishes."

"I love you Rory." Lorelai whispered as she watched her stand up.

Rory smiled down at her, "I love you too Mom. We both do…"

She winked before walking to the kitchen to help Luke and Lorelai couldn't help but smile as she watched them work together. She loved the way Luke laughed when Rory spoke to him, joking still about how crazy they all were. She had missed this, missed being able to feel happy. And for the first time in months she was finally understanding that she did in fact deserve happiness…

And now she was finally getting it…

* * *

A few hours later, Emily Gilmore waltzed into Luke's apartment with Rory at her side. Luke tensed up as she moved about his tiny home but realized she wasn't at all concerned about his meager living habits. She crossed the room and sat down beside Lorelai on the couch and reached for her arm.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked desperately searching her daughters face. "Did he hit you again? Rory said he didn't but did he hit you?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No Mom. Not this time…we just argued. It's okay…I'm okay."

Emily sighed and put her purse down beside her, "I knew we never should have left last night. If we had been there it would have been okay."

Lorelai shook her head again, "It's no one's fault Mom."

"Well if it's anyone's fault its his parents…I never really liked them and clearly they didn't raise their son the right way. Stupid Straub…" Emily grunted.

Lorelai laughed softly, "Where's Dad?"

Emily sighed and then looked around the apartment, "Oh he had some business to take care of. He'll be here in a little while."

"Business?" Lorelai asked as she fidgeted in her seat. "What kind of business?"

Emily's eyes continued to roam the small apartment, "I think he was meeting with your lawyers to draw up Divorce papers and a restraining order."

Lorelai flinched, "Oh. Right…lawyers. The fun stuff…"

Emily shrugged, "Please your father loves drawing up papers." She paused, "Well probably not this kind but you know what I mean. He's tried to retire a thousand times but he thrives on business."

Lorelai smiled, "Sure. I know…"

Emily looked back at Luke, "So this is your apartment?"

Luke swallowed nervously and saw Lorelai and Rory glance at him slowly. "Yes…well it was my fathers office but-"

Emily smiled, "Relax Luke…I'm not going to insult you."

Luke shifted slightly, "What? No I didn't think-"

She laughed, "I just always wondered what your apartment would look like." She paused, "It's…quaint."

Lorelai groaned, "Mom…"

"What?" Emily asked incredulously, "I'm new at this okay?"

Rory laughed and walked to the kitchen, "Do you want some tea Grandma? Luke makes really great peppermint tea."

Emily's eyes traveled from her Granddaughter to Luke again, "I'd love some."

Luke smiled and walked over to where Rory was in the kitchen, "One peppermint tea coming right up…"

Emily smiled ad leaned back against the couch and smiled at her daughter, Lorelai just laughed and rolled her eyes. "What?" Emily asked.

Lorelai laughed some more. "Nothing Mom…" She smiled and reached a hand out to her which Emily gladly took.

* * *

Meanwhile, Richard Gilmore walked into the Woodbridge Police Station with a manila envelope in his hand. He walked up to the counter, gave his name and explained who he was there to see. After waiting a few moments, he was escorted into a small, dark room where Christopher sat waiting for him in his orange jump suit.

Richard glanced at the police officers standing guard as he sat down and looked directly at Christopher. "I can honestly say this is never a sight I thought I'd see." He paused, "Well no that's not true…I thought maybe you'd get arrested for something stupid as a kid like smoking pot or stealing something but never this. Not for hitting my daughter…"

"Richard…" Christopher chocked out softly.

"I didn't give you permission to talk." Richard said with a hard glare, "You will listen to me, and then maybe I'll let you speak. Understood?"

Christopher had known Richard Gilmore for most of his life. He had seen him deal with plenty of business deals over the years at the countless dinner parties he had attended as a child. He had even seen him take on his own father the night they told them that Lorelai was pregnant. He was used to the Richard Gilmore all business look, but this…this was very different.

He saw anger that burned deep and red and for the first time in his life he was actually afraid of Richard Gilmore…

Richard sighed, "I take your silence to mean we have an understanding here." He shifted in his seat and took out the envelope and placed it on the table. "I have hired the best possible lawyers for my Daughter to assure that you will never again lay your hands on her. I want to make this trial go as quickly as possible so that she and my Granddaughter can get on with their lives without you. The way it should be…the way it always was because you were to much of a coward to do what was right…"

Christopher shifted slightly and swallowed hard, the cool metal of the cuffs on his wrists made him shiver as he waited for Richard to continue.

"What I found interesting was that my lawyers saw that you and Lorelai aren't actually legally married because the ceremony took place in France." Richard said glancing at him over the rim of his glasses, "And you knew that…"

"Richard…" Christopher said with a pleading voice.

He put his hand up to silence him, "I didn't give you permission to talk yet." He opened the folder and took out the papers he needed, "You knew that you needed to have a legal ceremony here in the States to make it official but you knew that if you told Lorelai that…she would probably want to get out of it."

"Richard please…" Christopher said again as he shifted in his metal seat.

"You knew that she would come to her senses. You knew that in Paris she had just gotten caught up in the moment…you knew she wasn't in any frame of mind to marry you. You knew she didn't love you but she did it because she was scared and broken hearted." Richard said.

"She did love me…" Christopher tried to reason with him.

"Maybe once…but not now. She loves Luke and you know that. You knew that if you told her you weren't legally married then she would walk away and you couldn't handle that. So you lied…you kept this from her." Richard said smugly.

Christopher sighed, "I just thought that if she could get used to the idea of us being married…of us being a couple than it could work. And then once she was sure of us I was going to tell her…I was going to make it official."

"But you panicked when you saw that letter." Richard said leaning into the table more, "You knew that the longer you waited the more likely it was for her to figure it all out. She'd be filling out some type of legal papers, maybe for work or at the bank and when they were filed someone would inform her that she wasn't Mrs. Christopher Hayden…" He shrugged, "Then she would run for the hills because she would have found her out."

"Richard please…I'm so sorry for what I did. I'm so sorry for all of it. You have to believe me when I say I never meant to hurt Lorelai!" Christopher pleaded as he jumped slightly, the handcuffs slammed against the table. "I love her. I've always loved her!"

"A man never lies to the woman he loves about something like this. A man never hits the woman he loves, never says the things that you said to her." Richard said through gritted teeth. "You are a sorry excuse for a man and you knew that you didn't deserve her…and so you did everything in your power to try and keep her. But as usual your plans were anything but smart.

"Just…just let me talk to her and we'll figure it out." Christopher pleaded with him.

Richard shook his head, "At first I was angry when I realized you weren't married. And I guess I still am because I know that you played my daughter. You played upon her weakness and her heartbreak to get what you wanted even if it meant hurting her." He shrugged, "But now I'm happy…this saves her from having to deal with a divorce. Now we can get through this trial and she can move on with her life and finally put you behind her once and for all."

"Richard please…" Christopher said as tears brimmed in his eyes. "Please…"

Richard stood up and smiled down at the man he had once hoped would be his Son-In-Law. "You are a sorry excuse for a man Christopher Hayden…and my daughter deserves so much better. And she has better…"

"What the Diner guy?" Christopher spat out, "You think he can give her what she wants? He's a nobody!" He yelled, his once pleading voice turned angry at the mere thought of Luke Danes. "I'm twice the man he is!"

Richard shook his head, "That's where you are wrong. I too may have been blinded at one point by your name and who your family was but I know better now. I know that Luke Danes is a much better man than you or even I for that matter. He loves my daughter and my Granddaughter. He took care of them for years when you weren't around and he had no reason to do so…he did it because unlike you he wasn't a coward."

"Richard…" Christopher whispered, suddenly losing his nerve again.

"He may have made some mistakes but the more I think about it the more I realize it may have been partially my fault. Emily and I made him think he wasn't good enough when all along he was. He thought he had to give her more when all along all she wanted was him…" Richard said as he picked up the envelope again. "And from now on I will make sure my daughter has exactly what she wants. I can assure you that."

"So this is it then? You're just gonna lock me away for a stupid mistake? And she's gonna run off with the Burger Boy and live happily ever after refilling ketchup bottles and salt shakers?" He asked angrily, "The famous Richard Gilmore is going to let his daughter settle for that?"

Richard shook his head, "Finding someone who loves you unconditionally isn't settling Christopher. It's one of the greatest joys in life…a joy that most people never have the opportunity to have. But my daughter found that kind of love and I am going to make sure she doesn't lose it again."

Christopher sighed and leaned back in his chair, "She'll find a way to screw it up. You know she will. She always does."

Richard shook his head adamantly, "Not this time Christopher. Not this time. You screwed it up for her." Leaning down, he braced his fists on the cool metal table and glared down at Christopher. "My daughter is more amazing than I ever gave her credit for and I am sorry for that. But you will never, EVER lay another hand on her." He smiled, "And if by some strange chance you do…" He gritted his teeth, "I'll make sure you wished you were never born. I'll make sure the world knows just what kind of man you actually are. Understood?"

Christopher just stared up at him, unable to find any words to respond this time. He was tired and finally ready to give up the fight. He watched Richard smile in response as he stood up straight again and straightened out his suit.

"Well…now that that is settled." He cleared his throat and nodded at the guards, "I'll see you in court Christopher. In the mean time…" He sniffed at the air, "Enjoy your new home. I'd get used to it if I were you. I think you'll be here awhile."

Richard walked out of the room and didn't turn back. For the first time in a long time, he was going to do what was right for his daughter. He was going to make sure she had everything and anything she wanted no matter what it took. 

* * *

**So what did you think? I hope you liked it! Let me know and drop a review! Upnext-Richard talks to Lorelai about the fact that she wasn't ever legally married and what her options are now and much more! I'll try and update as soon as possible! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Once again thanks for all the great feedback :) I had a little time today so I worked on the next chapter so I could get it to you tonight! I hope you like it :) I'll try and update again within the next few days! **

* * *

That afternoon, Richard Gilmore walked into his daughters house and found Rory, Emily and Lorelai sitting together in the living room. Emily smiled and stood up, quickly walking over to her husband side.

"What took you so long?" Emily asked leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I told you I had some business to take care of." He paused and looked at Lorelai, "How are you doing Lorelai?"

"I'm okay Dad…" She whispered softly trying to assure him she meant what she said.

Richard nodded once, "Good." He looked around the house, "Where's Luke?"

"He should be here in a little while. He was just meeting with Caesar and Lane about stuff at the Diner. He wanted to make sure they were all set for the next few days so he didn't have to keep checking in." Rory answered.

Richard nodded and held the manila envelope closer to his side, "Good. Good." He cleared his throat, "Rory, Emily…do you think you could go make me some coffee? I'm very tired. And I need to talk to Lorelai for a moment."

Emily tensed up, "Is everything alright Richard?"

He smiled slowly at her, "Everything is fine darling. I would just like to talk to Lorelai about a few things before everyone else weighs in."

Emily looked between her husband and daughter and then nodded, "Oh. Alright." She looked at Rory and cocked her head towards the kitchen, "Come on Rory."

Rory stood up slowly and looked over at her Mother, offering a supportive smile before she followed Emily to the kitchen. Lorelai fidgeted nervously on her spot on the couch before her Father sat down beside her. She waited and watched as he opened the folder and shuffled through the papers for a few moments before turning back to her.

Lorelai swallowed hard, "What is it? Can I not press charges or something? Did I do something wrong?"

Richard shook his head, "No. No. That's not it. I just had my lawyers look into your options and what a divorce would mean for you."

Lorelai sighed, "What, am I going to lose everything? Do I have to sell the house? We didn't sign any prenuptial agreements or anything…"

He shook his head again, "No. The thing is you can't get a divorce Lorelia-"

She grimaced at his words and practically levitated off the couch at his words, "What do you mean? I have to stay married to him forever? But why? How is that even possible."

He put a hand up to silence her, "You didn't let me finish. What I was saying is you can't get a divorce because you were never actually legally married."

Lorelai stopped her frantic movements and let his words sink in, "Not legally married? How? Why?"

Richard took a few forms out of the folder and handed it to her, "If you get married outside of the United States and you are a U.S. citizen, you need to have another ceremony here to make it legal. Even if it just means going down to the Court House. But you two never did that…"

Lorelai looked down at the papers her father had handed her. "No. We didn't…I didn't realize that we would have too…"

Richard nodded, "Christopher found out that it wasn't legal. He knew you weren't actually married here."

She lifted her face and stared at him in shock, "He knew? If he knew then why didn't he say anything? Why wouldn't he have told me?"

Richard smiled, "Because he knew that if you weren't legally married he had no way of keeping you."

"Keeping me? I don't…" She whispered shaking her head in confusion.

He reached a hand out to his daughter, "Lorelai I know you didn't really love him. I know that in that moment in Paris you just wanted to feel loved and you agreed to marry him. But can you honestly tell me if he had told you that you weren't legally married that you would have done it all over again?"

Lorelai sighed and looked down at the papers again, "No. I wouldn't have…"

Richard reached out a gentle hand to her, he stroked her arm reassuringly. "He knew you loved Luke. He knew that marrying him wasn't what you wanted and he knew that he was preying on you in a moment of weakness. Both with marrying you in Paris and hitting you…"

Lorelai sniffled slightly and looked back up at him, "I tried really hard to love him. Once I realized what I had done in Paris…I told myself I had to make it work because I had screwed up enough already. I couldn't handle another failure." She laughed sadly, "Got to say this failure is worse than any I could have imagined…I became that girl…"

"I already told you that you are not a failure." Richard said shaking his head, "Christopher knew what he was doing Lorelai…you know he did. He made his own choices."

She nodded slowly, "So if we aren't legally married then we don't have to do the whole divorce thing…then we just have to focus on the trial. And then once that's over…" She took a deep breath, "I can just…move on?"

Richard smiled, "Yes."

Lorelai smiled weakly back, "If only it were that easy…"

He sighed and reached for her hand again, "Lorelai, you aren't going through this alone. Your Mother and I will be here every step of the way and Rory is here too." He shrugged, "And I have a feeling Luke may never let you out of his sight for more than a few minutes at a time from now on."

Lorelai laughed, "You may just be right about that…"

Richard smile, "He loves you."

She nodded slowly, "It seems that he does. I just haven't figured out why yet."

He squeezed her hand, "You are an amazing woman Lorelai. And you deserve the best and I believe that Luke will give you the best. You'll make it work this time."

Lorelai smiled weakly, "I hope so…"

He shrugged again, "Besides…this way Luke could be your first husband. Not your second." He said with a smile.

Lorelai's heart fluttered in her chest, "Don't get ahead of yourself Dad…"

"It will happen…you'll see." He said with a reassuring smile.

Lorelai smiled back just as the front door opened again and Luke walked in. Luke smiled at them as he walked in with bags of food from the Diner.

"Hey…thought you guys might be hungry." He said looking down at the bags, "I whipped up some stuff before I came over."

Richard smiled and patted Lorelai's hand again before he stood up to face Luke, "That sounds wonderful Luke. I am quite hungry now that I think about it." He turned back to Lorelai, "We will finish talking about this later okay? You probably want to talk to Luke about a few things anyway…"

Lorelai smiled nervously up at him and tried to ignore the way she could feel Luke's eyes boring into the side of her head. "Sure. Thanks Dad."

Richard smiled again and then walked over to Luke, he took the bags from him and then walked back to the kitchen. Luke watched him go before he walked all the way into the living room and sat down beside her.

"Everything okay?" Luke asked looking down at the folder in Lorelai's hands, "Did your Dad suddenly come to his senses and realize I am no where near good enough for you?"

Lorelai smirked and shook her head, "Would you stop that. They like you Luke. Trust me…they really do."

Luke nodded slowly, "Okay. So what's going on? Is it the case? Is Christopher trying to fight it somehow?"

She shook her head, "No. I mean yes it is about the case but he isn't trying to fight me for anything. The only option he has at this point is plead guilty to the charges and deal with the consequences."

"But what about the divorce?" Luke asked curiously.

She opened the folder again and handed him the papers her Father had given her, "Turns out getting married in Paris isn't legal here in the States…"

Luke's wrinkled his brow and then looked down at the papers, "What do you mean? You aren't actually married?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Nope. Still never been a bride…"

Luke let her words sink in for a moment before looking up at her, "You're not married…"

She licked her lips nervously and shook her head, "Nope."

He cleared his throat and looked back down at the papers in front of him, "You didn't marry him." He paused, "Not legally…"

Shaking her head again she continued on, "No. I didn't realize that you would have to have another ceremony here in the States to make it official. But it turns out Christopher did."

His head snapped up and he frowned at her, "He knew it wasn't legal?" She nodded in response, "Well then why didn't he tell you?"

"Because he knew that I didn't really want to be married to him I suppose." She shrugged, "We were in Paris and I got so swept up in the idea because for once I wasn't thinking about you. But once we were here I realized that I had made a mistake and he knew that…so if he had told me I would have just walked away."

Luke huffed softly, "He knew this was his only way of keeping you with him."

Lorelai nodded, "I guess so."

He nodded slowly and then closed the folder before throwing it on the coffee table in front of them. "He really is a coward."

She smirked; "Yeah…"

Luke looked back at her and tried to read her expression, "So…how do you feel about this?"

Lorelai sighed, "I mean…it's kind of confusing. I guess I understand why he did it but it still makes me mad that he lied about it. I feel a little guilty though for leading him on in the first place…"

"Lorelai…" Luke whispered to her.

"I should have known better than to say yes when we were in Paris. But I didn't…I just needed to feel something." She whispered.

He nodded, "I know…"

"I'm not saying all the things he did were right but…" She shrugged, "I guess I'm not all that innocent in all this…"

Luke watched her for a moment before answering, "But how exactly do you feel about never actually being married to him?"

She licked her lips and smiled nervously, "Relieved…"

He couldn't help but smile a little, "Really?"

She smiled back, "Really…"

"How come?" Luke asked leaning closer to her.

"Because…" She whispered looking down as her cheeks flushed, "I only want to be married once. To the right guy…"

"To the right guy…" Luke whispered slowly letting her words sink in.

She smiled nervously, "You were the only guy I could ever actually picture myself being married to Luke. Even with Max…I tried to picture it but I couldn't see it. But with you…" She reached out for her hand and smiled, "With you I saw it all…"

He nodded slowly, "I know what you mean. When I realized I had married Nicole…"

Lorelai cringed and stuck her tongue out in disgust, "Ugh…Nicole…"

Luke laughed and continued, "I wanted to die. And then I realized when I said those words to her on that boat…I was pretending…wishing it was you."

She pouted softly, "I really wanted to marry you Luke…"

He nodded back, "I really wanted to marry you too Lorelai…I'm sorry I made you doubt that."

She opened her mouth to say that she couldn't wait for them to have that but she stopped. She didn't want to push him any further than this. They had talked about a lot in the last few days but she also knew that inside Luke still could only handle so much.

She fidgeted in her seat again and cleared her throat, "My Dad said that all we have to worry about now is the trial but there is enough evidence to convict. Once that's over and he gets his sentence it will be over…" Lorelai whispered, "I mean I'll have a lot to work through I suppose but having to deal with him will be over."

Luke nodded in understanding, "That must make you feel better. It won't be as dragged out now…"

She smiled, "Yup."

Luke looked back at the folder on the table and let out a small laugh, "I'm sorry…I just I can't help but feel really happy right now."

"Luke…" She whispered softly as she moved closer to him.

He turned back to her, a smile growing on his face. "I know how fucked up this all is and I hate that he did this all to you Lorelai. God you know I do…I could kill him myself if I had the chance."

"But you won't because of April…" Lorelai said with a warning tone.

Luke nodded, "Right. But I'm just really happy that you weren't really married to him." He paused and watched her smile slightly, "Does that make me selfish?"

She felt the smile grow on her lips and she shook her head, "No. Not at all."

He smiled and then rubbed his thighs slowly, "Okay. We should go in the kitchen…"

She watched him stand up quickly, "Are you okay?" She asked nervously.

Luke laughed and looked back at her, "Lorelai its taking all of my strength not to kiss you right now so I just think it would be best if we go in the kitchen…I may feel less prone to kiss you if other people are around. Especially your parents."

Lorelai blushed and smirked, "You want to kiss me?"

Luke rolled his eyes, "Lorelai I always want to kiss you. I've wanted to kiss you since the day I met you and everyday since then. These past months have been torture…"

She licked her lips and then stood up on wobbly legs, "I know what you mean…"

He nodded and took a step back, "And even though you aren't legally married…I just think that we should wait for that. You know until things settle down…I don't want it to be a rushed thing. I want it to be right…"

Lorelai smiled up at him and whispered, "Every kiss with you is right Luke…"

He felt the usual ache in his chest that she caused, "Right. Well…I just really think we should wait."

Lorelai studied his face, she could see the inner battle he was fighting and it both killed her and warmed her heart at the same time. She hated to see him in pain, in any kind of pain. But she also liked knowing he still wanted her as much as she wanted him, even after everything they had been through.

"Okay…we can wait." She said smiling at him, "I understand."

He put his nervous hands in his pockets and smiled slightly, "Okay. Thanks…"

She smiled and reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm the one who should be thanking you Luke. You're always looking out for me…"

He smiled and lifted the hand she wasn't holding, brushing a stray curl out of her face he spoke sincerely. "And I always will…"

She smiled as he let his hand drop from her face but squeeze her hand in his. He let go just to step back and let her walk towards the kitchen so he could follow her. Just like he always did…

In the kitchen, Rory was sitting at the table with her Grandparents discussing what would happen to her little sister GiGi.

"So you had someone contact Sherry?" Rory asked her Grandfather curiously.

Lorelai and Luke walked in at that exact moment and Lorelai gasped, "Oh God…I forgot all about Gigi. I know she was with Sherry that night thank God…She was visiting but I totally forgot to call her."

Richard shook his head, "It's all been taken care of. Sherry knows what happened and she's taking full custody of Gigi again."

"But will she leave her again?" Rory asked nervously, "Gigi is going to need someone to be looking out for her…someone she can count on."

Richard nodded, "I spoke to Sherry myself and she understands she can't run off again. I told her that we would help her anyway we could if need be, but I know that Christophers Mother will also be assisting her."

"So Francine knows what happened?" Lorelai asked pulling her sweater around her more tightly suddenly feeling cold, she could feel Luke beside her which helped her relax but only slightly. "What did she say?"

"I talked to her this morning and explained the situation. She was shocked…and we argued a bit but she knows that her son has to pay the price for what he did." Richard said looking directly at his daughter. "She won't be a problem. I promise."

Lorelai sighed and leaned against the cool counter, "Okay…"

"Grandpa told us that you and Dad weren't actually married…" Rory whispered looking from Luke to her Mother.

Lorelai nodded slowly, "Looks that way."

Rory glanced at Luke who couldn't seem to take his eye off of Lorelai, "It will speed up this process…so that's good."

Lorelai smiled and glanced at Luke out of the corner of her eye, "Yeah. It's good."

Rory smiled and stood up from her spot at the table, "Well I don't know about anyone else but I'm starving!" She turned to Luke, "Want to help me Luke?"

He smiled at Rory and walked up beside her and began emptying the bags of food with her. Richard and Emily grabbed plates and Lorelai went to feed Paul Anka. When she was finished she looked around her small kitchen, the exact place where one of the worst moments of her life had happened. But as she stood there and stared at the people that were surrounding her she knew she was pretty damn lucky.

* * *

Later that night, Richard and Emily once again said their goodbyes and went back to their house. Richard said they would be back in the morning with Lorelai's lawyers to discuss the case and what she would need to do. Rory had gone to take Paul Anka for another walk as Luke and Lorelai sat together in the living room talking.

"Rory said Logan wants to come out here soon." Luke said softly, "How are they doing? Do you like him now?"

Lorelai shrugged, "He's growing on me…"

Luke smirked, "I still don't like him."

She laughed, "Of course you don't. But Rory is a grown woman and if he is the man she decides she loves we need to respect that."

He sighed, "I guess…"

Lorelai laughed again and shook her head, "I just wish she would go back to school soon. Its not that I don't love having her here but I don't want her missing too much school. She already has enough catching up to do and I don't want her to fall any further behind…"

He nodded in understanding, "I know. But you know she is just worried about you…"

Lorelai smiled, "I know…but we both need to get on with our lives if we have any chance of living normal lives again."

He nodded, "You will. Both of you…in time."

"Time…" Lorelai said with a raised eyebrow, "I've never been fond of time…I'm not good at waiting."

Luke chuckled, "You don't have to tell me that…"

She smirked and was about to respond when she heard a knock on the front door. Lorelai frowned and looked at the clock before she stood up from the couch.

"Who could that be?" Lorelai asked, "If it's Sookie with more food I'm sending her away. I am going to gain a thousand pounds between the two of you and your delicious food…"

He smirked and watched her walk towards the door, "If you haven't gained weight over the years with all the crap you eat I think you'll be safe…"

Lorelai just rolled her eyes and walked to the door to answer it, when she opened it her heart jumped in her chest. "April…"

The young girl stood on the porch and looked up at Lorelai nervously, "H-hi Lorelai. I'm sorry to just show up like this…"

Luke who had heard Lorelai speak his daughters name rushed to the door. "April?" He asked looking over at her, "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Lorelai felt the old fears and insecurities creep in at the sight of Luke's long lost daughter. She couldn't help but worry that he would leave her once again. And this time she wasn't sure she could survive if he did…

April seemed transfixed by the bruises on Lorelai's face. "Uh…I talked to Mom and told her I wanted to come see you because of everything that happened. Aunt Liz met me at the Diner and told me you were here…she dropped me off. She wanted to come in but she didn't want to crowd Lorelai…"

Lorelai felt nervous under the girl's intense stare, Luke shifted slightly. "April I told you I would take care of everything…"

April sighed and looked at her Dad and then back at Lorelai, "I'm really sorry Lorelai."

Lorelai smiled nervously and leaned against the doorframe, "April it's okay-"

April shook her head, "If I had never done that stupid project Dad wouldn't know about me. And then you guys would have gotten married and everything would have been okay. None of this would have happened…"

Lorelai shook her head, "God. No…no April none of this is your fault." She looked at Luke who looked at a loss for words, "Come in here…"

Stepping aside, April walked into the house and over to the living room. Luke and Lorelai shared a nervous glance, he reached for her before she could step into the living room.

"Lorelai…" He whispered softly, "I didn't expect her to show up like this…"

Lorelai smiled weakly up at him, "Luke…it's okay. Just…can we…will we be okay? Can you deal with-"

He shook his head, "I'm not leaving you again if that's what you're worried about."

She smiled slowly and then turned, pulling him with her towards the living room where April was waiting. Lorelai and Luke sat down on the couch while April sat nervously in the corner chair, staring down at her hands.

"April…" Lorelai whispered tentatively, the young girl lifted her head slowly to reveal tears in her eyes. "None of this is your fault. You have to know that."

"But you hate me. You have to hate me. I'm the reason Dad pushed you away." April said as her lip trembled.

Luke grimaced and Lorelai shook her head adamantly before lifting herself up and kneeling down in front of her, "Oh sweetie no that's not true. I don't hate you at all! Not even a little bit!"

"But…" April hiccupped nervously, "If I hadn't of shown up you and Dad would have gotten married like you planned too. I'm really sorry…"

Lorelai shook her head again and Luke sat transfixed from his seat on the couch, unable to think of anything to say. "April…I am so glad that you came into your Dads life. I know how much he loves you and how much he has loved getting to know you this past year. I wish he could have known about you from the beginning but I'm just glad he has you now. Don't you ever apologize for finding him."

"So you really don't hate me?" April questioned, looking at her over the rims of her glasses.

Lorelai smiled and reached for her hand, "No. Not at all. Any problems that your father and I had are between him and I. We both made mistakes that had nothing to do with you. We made our own choices. You have to understand that I don't blame you for any of this…and neither does your father."

April looked back at her Dad who sat motionless on the couch, "He hasn't been very happy since you guys broke up…"

Lorelai smiled sadly and glanced back at Luke slowly, "Well I haven't been very happy myself…"

April took a deep breath and continued to look at her Father, "I really wish that you would let me get to know Lorelai more."

Luke hesitated for a moment as he rubbed the tops of his thighs, his hands were sweating from his nerves. "I never should have tried to keep you from her. For that I'm sorry. I just…I was so surprised to see you kid…to find out that you had been out there all this time and I didn't know about you. I guess I just wanted to keep you to myself for awhile but I know that was wrong."

April nodded slowly, "I know Mom didn't want me to get to know her either…"

Luke nodded once, "No. She didn't…and I guess I was just nervous that she would take you away from me again so I just did whatever she wanted me to do. And in the process I hurt myself and Lorelai."

April nodded and turned back to Lorelai, "She thinks I'll love you more than her."

Lorelai smiled sadly, "April I would love to be a part of your life in anyway that you want me to be. But I can never take the place of your Mom. I would never want that. I know how important it is to have a relationship with your own Mom, I didn't have a great one with my Mom growing up."

"But you have a great relationship with Rory." April said softly, "Dad talks about you two like you're the dynamic duo of Mothers and Daughters."

Lorelai smiled and looked back at Luke, "We do have a pretty special bond her and I…"

"Well I told Mom that you would never replace her. But I also told her that I wanted to be a part of Dads life and that meant that I would be a part of your life too. She kept me away from him for too long and I don't want to lose him again." April said with a nervous whisper.

Lorelai shook her head and squeezed the young girls hand, "You won't."

"But we're moving to New Mexico…" April said swallowing hard, "Thousands of miles away from here…"

Lorelai looked back at Luke who once again had a sad expression on his face, "I'm going to fight for custody of you April. We won't be able to see each other everyday but we will see each other. And we can talk on the phone everyday if you want too. I won't let your Mom take you away from me again."

April reached a hand up to wipe another tear away, "You promise?"

He smiled and looked at her and then at Lorelai, "I've realized in this past year I need to start fighting harder for the things I love. I'm not going to give up so easily…"

Lorelai couldn't help but smile at his words and she felt April pull on her hands, she looked back at her. "I'm really glad you're okay…" April whispered softly. "When Dad told me what happened I was really scared…"

Lorelai let out a shaky breath, "Well I've had pretty amazing people looking out for me. And it helps a lot to have you here right now…"

April's smile grew, "Really? So it's okay that I'm here?"

Lorelai smiled and reached forward to hug her, "It is more than okay April. You are welcome here anytime."

April smiled and finally relaxed as she felt Lorelai wrap her arms around her. She hugged her back tightly and looked at her Father over Lorelai's shoulder and noticed the small smile on his own lips. She could see his eyes were sparkling with unshed tears and she let out a sigh of relief because for the first time in a long time she was starting to think everything was going to be okay again.

The front door opened, breaking the spell that had been cast as Paul Anka came trotting in with Rory beside him. "You could have warned me that he's now afraid of street lamps…" She said walking into the living room, she stopped in her tracks when she saw April sitting with her Mom. "April. Hey. I didn't know you were going to be here…"

Lorelai took a deep breath and stood up, wiping her own tears away she smiled at her Daughter and put a hand on April's back. "She came to surprise us. Isn't that nice of her?"

Rory glanced up at her Mom and noticed for the first time in a long time she had a genuine smile on her face. "Yeah. It is." She paused and looked at Luke who seemed lost in thought and she smiled and turned back to April. "Hey my Mom told me you are really into books. Want to take a look at some of the stuff I have in my room? I had so many I couldn't fit them all in my new apartment. I'd be happy to lend you some if you want."

April's face lit up, "Really?"

Rory smiled and leaned down to take off Paul Anka's leash, "Sure. I love talking books with people. It's one of my favorite past times."

April looked at Luke slowly, "Can I?"

He smiled at his daughter and then glanced at Rory with an appreciative stare, "Of course. Go ahead."

The young girl stood up quickly and followed Rory towards her room down the hall. Paul Anka quickly followed them, anxious to see what was going on. Lorelai smiled when she heard the sound of laughter coming from the room, glad that there was something other than the sound of tears in the house once again.

She pulled at her sweater nervously and then looked back at Luke who was staring at her so intensely her cheeks began to burn. "Luke…?" She questioned nervously.

He smiled and stood up, walking closer to her he saw the anxious expression on her face. Without saying a word he pulled her closer to him and slowly leaned his head down and captured her lips in a tender kiss. When he pulled away, he couldn't help but laugh at the stunned expression on Lorelai's face despite the fact that she was clinging to his strong arms desperately.

"Luke?" She asked again softly, unsure what that kiss had meant.

"I love you so much Lorelai." He whispered to her, his face only inches from her. "You are amazing."

She swallowed hard and felt herself relax in his embrace, "I thought you wanted to wait to do that…"

He sighed and reached one of his hands to cup her unbruised cheek with, "I did. And I should have." He shrugged. "But I couldn't help myself…seeing you with April like that despite everything you have been going through and everything that I put you through with April…" He paused and looked deep into her eyes, "It made me fall in love with you all over again…"

Her left hand rubbed against the soft flannel on his arm and she blinked a few times, "If we are going to make this work Luke I need to be a part of her life. A part of your life with her…"

He nodded slowly, "I know. I also know that if I have any chance of getting this whole parenting thing right I'm going to need your help."

She laughed slightly, "Well I'd love to help you. But it seems you are doing an amazing job without me Luke. That girl adores you."

He nodded nervously and looked down the hall, "I just don't want to disappoint her. I've already missed all this time with her and I can't stand the thought that she's going to go away again…"

She rubbed his arms soothingly, "I know. But you're going to fight for her. I know you will. And I'll be there right beside you the whole time. Just like you're here with me now…"

He stared deep into her eyes and took a deep breath, "I have missed you so much."

She felt the tears burning her eyes again and she nodded before answering in a chocked voice, "I missed you too Luke. So much…more than you could ever know." She watched him close his eyes and breath her in, gently moving side to side with her in his arms and she smiled, "For the record Luke…I never would have been able to survive on my own all those years with Rory if it weren't for you."

His eyes fluttered open and he cocked his head to the side, "What?"

She smiled and leaned forward to brush her lips against his softly, "All those years you helped me with Rory…I needed you then Luke and I need you now. All those times you brought us food even when you knew I couldn't pay. All those times you let Rory do her homework at the Diner afterhours because I had to work late…all those times you helped me take care of her when she was sick." She shrugged and smiled up at him as he beamed at her, "You've always been a natural at the parenting thing Luke…whether you realized it or not."

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very emotional. "Uh…well thank you Lorelai." He paused and smiled at her, "I would do it all again you know…even if you and I never got together I'd do it all again. I'd be there to help you in anyway I could…"

She smiled and kissed him again, "I know. And that makes me love you even more."

He smiled again and then reluctantly pulled away, "As much as I love this…" He said motioning between them, "We should probably-"

She nodded slowly and smiled, "I know."

He sighed and put a hand on his hip, chuckling to himself. "Damn you for being so irresistible Gilmore."

She laughed and flipped her hair, "I don't know what you are talking about Danes…"

He groaned, "And there you go with the hair flip." He shook his head and looked towards Rory's room. "Geez…you really are trying to kill me."

She giggled again and walked up behind him, grasping his hand in hers as they walked down the hall. "No. I'm not trying to kill you Luke. Now that I have you right where I want you…" She nuzzled his ear, "I'm never letting you go again!"

He smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head before they entered Rory's room. "Right back at ya…"

Lorelai couldn't help but smile even when she felt his hand slip from hers. She understood why it was important that they wait, why it was important that they take it slow but it didn't make it any easier. She had missed this man more than she thought it was possible to miss anyone.

She wanted their middle…and now that it was within reach she wanted to hold onto it as tightly as she could. Despite all the terrible things that were still going on for her…she knew that this was exactly where they were all supposed to be. And she couldn't have been happier about it… 

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**So what did you think? I hope you liked it! Let me know by dropping a review! I should have time to write either tomorrow or Wednesday so keep an eye out for an update. The more reviews I get seems to give me more motivation ;) So if you want an update faster you know what to do! THANKS! Hope you all had a good Monday! **


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